No deal! Dr M appears set on hauling Najib to court

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has made it clear that he would not backtrack on his pledge to bring his predecessor Najib Abdul Razak to justice over the 1MDB scandal.

The 92-year-old former premier has ruled out the possibility of striking a deal with Najib during an interview conducted via video link for The Wall Street Journal CEO Council in Tokyo.

“No deal,” he was quoted as saying by media reports.

The prime minister was asked if he might be willing to spare Najib if the latter offered information which could recover part of the US$4.5 billion (RM18.19 billion) allegedly lost by 1MDB.

Mahathir also said Najib could be charged soon as he was confident that prosecutors would be able to build a strong case.

“We are slowly getting to the bottom of things and many of our senior officers are volunteering information accompanied, of course, by documents.

“We are now in the process of getting into details of the matters he suppressed in his time. We think that within a short while we will have a case against him, we will be able to charge him,” he added.

However, Mahathir claimed he was confronted with the problem of whom to trust with the task of investigating Najib.

“Some of these people who were with him had sided with him and we do not know who is going to be loyal to this new government,” he said.

Najib has denied Mahathir's allegation that he had siphoned funds from the firm despite international investigations suggesting the RM2.6 billion in his personal bank accounts originated from 1MDB.

He had accused his former mentor-turned-nemesis of using this issue to topple him from power.

No special powers for Anwar

Meanwhile, Mahathir also told the conference that he would continue to play a role in the background after stepping down as prime minister in two or three years.

As for Anwar Ibrahim replacing him as prime minister, Mahathir said the former opposition leader would need to seek a seat in Parliament and then might be given a cabinet post.

However, he said Anwar would play the same role in the coalition as leaders of the other three parties in the alliance.

"I expect him to play the same role as the leaders of the other three parties.

“There will be no special powers given except as are given to ministers or deputy ministers or deputy prime minister," he added.

Anwar, who is serving a five-year prison sentence, is scheduled to be released tomorrow after securing a royal pardon.

Meanwhile, Mahathir also said he welcomed foreign direct investment in Malaysia by China and other countries, but such investment must bring in capital and technology and provide jobs for Malaysians.

He also suggested that it would be necessary to limit immigration.

"Any country would like to restrain immigration from coming in large numbers," he said.

"We have the same problem. We need to restrict immigration and accept a certain number that we can deal with," he added. -Mkini