Kit Siang: Court not Najib's only way to clear his name

A court trial is not the only way for former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to clear his name, DAP's Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang said.

"Najib had told reporters that his trial would be the best chance for him to clear his name, after being accused so heavily.

"Najib cannot be more wrong. He should explain why he and his government went into denial for the past three years and why he failed to avail himself of the opportunity to clear himself, not only to Malaysians but to the world at large," Lim said in a statement today.

He said Najib could have cleared himself by establishing a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the 1MDB scandal to rebut the "mountain of incriminating" information in the civil forfeiture suit filed by the US Department of Justice to seize US$1.7 billion of 1MDB-linked assets.

"Najib had recently said he was not a thief but if that was true, why did he not sue Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad when the 92-year-old publicly called him a 'thief' during the 14th general election campaigning period?" Lim questioned.

"Was Najib so naive and isolated from the realities on the ground by his circle of highly-paid advisers and strategists that he did not know that his refusal to clear himself only compounded international perceptions of his corruption and culpability?"

Despite that, Lim said Najib is still entitled to a fair and objective trial, even though many others were not accorded the same, such as Teoh Beng Hock, S Balamurugan and Altantuya Shaariibuu.

"Two wrongs do not make a right. I welcome the public assurances given by the attorney-general Tommy Thomas that Najib will be given a fair trial and accorded due process in his criminal cases," he said.

He also welcomed the respect that MACC accorded to Najib by allowing him to dress in his own attire instead of the orange lock-up uniform with handcuffs.

This is a courtesy that should be extended to all individuals regardless of their station, Lim added.

Najib was brought to court yesterday and charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and one count for abuse of power. 

The former prime minister had released a pre-recorded message after he was arrested on Tuesday night, and Lim said this message was "meant to touch the hearts of millions of Malaysians to feel sorry for Najib".

However, he said, it failed to achieve that.

"All it invoked among Malaysians was the overpowering sense of catharsis that a long, sorry and disgraceful chapter in the history of the nation was finally coming to an end.

"There was no sincere apology, no contrition from Najib – only denial, denial and denial although Malaysia became a global kleptocracy for over three years. 

"Listening to Najib's pre-recorded message, I cry not for Najib, I cry for Malaysia," Lim said.  - Mkini