Yoursay: Is this Najib’s defence - 'I know nothing'?

YOURSAY | ‘Easy money from strangers is never from a good source.’

Najib: I would have acted if I knew 1MDB funds were misappropriated

Clever Voter: Former PM Najib Razak has just given the script of his defence.

He had not realised that there has been contradiction in whatever he said. For example, when he said “if I had known there was misappropriation of funds”, does this mean he now accepts this fact?

Hasn't he been told time and again about that, and wasn’t he the one who placed an OSA (Official Secrets Act) on the matter?

He now implicitly blamed others. Didn’t he realise that he was the chairperson of the 1MDB advisory board who signed off all key documents and the fund transfers, including consultant fees worth billions?

If he had taken advice from his advisors, is he saying they should be punished and held accountable? The law is clear on the accountability of those given the authority to carry out the appropriate duties and I would expect as the advisory board chairperson, he would have been fit unless he claimed he was medically sick.

As a prime minister, finance minister, the chairperson of 1MDB advisory board, husband to Rosmah Mansor, Najib is fighting for his innocence by saying he is unfit and others should be blamed.

The only consolation from this interview was his acknowledgement that there is a problem.

Najib remains very adamant on the source of money and its purpose. But logic would tell anyone that if the money is for his election campaign, perhaps one can produce a breakdown of these supposed expenditures.

Jedi Yoda: A smart and righteous leader would have rejected such donations in such manner, knowing it could spell trouble to his integrity. Najib has just declared himself the exact opposite.

Easy money from strangers is never from a good source. Do you need to be told this?

Anonymous #07988903: What Najib is spewing now is pure nonsensical. When the issue was hot and when he had power to correct any misconception about his involvement, he kept quiet and let all his moronic sidekicks spoke on his behalf.

Now he claims he doesn't know about this or that. Surely, billions of dollars have been hijacked and it is just plain stupid to believe that anyone would dare to do this without his knowledge. Safe your breath until the court is in session.

FlabberPro: The truth is you knew, hence Najib, you acted the way you acted when you were in power. You sacked people, transferred them everywhere, and you prevented the truth from being revealed.

Yes, perhaps you have hired the wrong advisors, but you should be able to think on your own. So, blame no one but you.

Until today, I am still intrigued by how dumb and ignorant you are. The very least you can do to redeem yourself is to admit to the wrongdoings and apologise. Well, it's a bit too late now.

Anonymous 1689721435778173: There is not the slightest credibility or sincerity in what you said, Najib. What you did and didn't do since the 1MDB issue, speak louder than words.

I hope going forward, the board members of 1MDB and Jho Low will find it worth their while to expose your lies.

I hope Azlan Mohd Zainol and the other director (former 1MDB chairperson Mohd Bakke Salleh) who resigned earlier are asked by the investigators to explain the reasons for their resignation.

Najib has to remember that the other board members who took the opportunity to resign after the auditor-general's 1MDB report was made known are still alive and are able to defend themselves.

The conspiracy of silence cannot be sustained. Keep talking, Najib.

Dizzer: If you watch the Reuters interview, you can't help but notice his muted vocal delivery and defeatist body language - he looked guilty and rather pathetic.

Usually in high-profile cases like these, the advice from highly-priced New York lawyers is to say nothing that could be brought up in court.

That's why Hollywood director Harvey Weinstein has been incommunicado... I'm surprised Najib is being allowed to take this route.

Oxymoronictendencies: Indeed, comments like this from Najib just serve to make him look guiltier than he already does.

For three years now, there has been strong circumstantial, if not strong actual, evidence that there were serious problems at 1MDB and that Najib was complicit in the theft and embezzlement of billions of dollars.

An innocent person would have immediately chosen an open and transparent investigation. But not Najib. He chose to try to cover up, and hide and lie.

Is this the behaviour of an innocent man seeking to clear his name? Or the actions of a desperate man trying to hide his guilt behind a tissue of lies and deceit and abuse of power.

For me, the question is rhetorical because Najib’s behaviour and actions over the past three years fly in the face of an ever-increasing litany of denials and lies.

And still incredibly, he continues to protest his innocence. Words are cheap, Najib. You had three years to prove your innocence. Three years while you had some control of the narrative, during which time you proved nothing, solely espousing a torrent of unbelievable mistruths and spins.

You would be better served by now saying nothing because no matter what you say now, even fewer people believe you.

You need to understand you have zero credibility and every time you say anything, you either make yourself look at best completely foolish and incompetent, and at worst, you are digging yourself a deeper and deeper hole.

Face the reality and stop your whinging narrative because only a few want to listen; and those who do, do not believe a word you utter. Silence, foolish man, you don’t even know where your wife got all her jewellery.

Perhaps you are trying to build a case for an insanity defence. But even that won’t save you. - Mkini