Zaid hopes BN wins GE15 and reforms justice system

 

Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim said BN has to win the next general election for the criminal justice system to be reformed.

Speaking at the Hello Malaysia online talk show, Zaid said the position of public prosecutor must be separated from the attorney-general to ensure justice.

This was necessary to prevent abuse of prosecutorial powers, which can result in selective prosecution and political revenge through prosecution, he explained.

In particular, he cited criminal trials faced by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his predecessor Najib Abdul Razak as examples of selective prosecution.

"(In Zahid's case), it is not a fair system of justice if you charge someone from the same facts and the money came from the same company, (the bribe given) had also paid off 'A, B, C, D and E', but they were not charged. That is selective prosecution," Zaid said.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Najib Abdul Razak

In the case of Najib, Zaid said there were prosecutions in New York and Abu Dhabi that resulted in jail sentences being handed out over the 1MDB affair.

However, he said in Malaysia, the prosecution was only intent on going after the former premier.

"Does it make sense that the headquarters (of the 1MDB affair) is in Malaysia, but they only want one person for what is called the biggest kleptocrat in the world?" he added.

By limiting the attorney-general's role, Zaid said that person can focus on being the prime minister's legal adviser and even answer questions in Parliament.

He added that there was public anger over selective prosecution as often people are jailed for minor offences while well-known personalities accused of crime walk free.

"Therefore, we need to address selective prosecution... I hope, from the bottom of my heart, if BN can win with a strong majority, you change all of this.

"We have to change the system to ensure justice," he said. - Mkini