Reduced sentence sends mixed message in war on graft, says activist

Anti-corruption campaigner Edmund Terence Gomez said a lot of questions arise from the Pardons Board’s decision ‘which unfortunately is not going to put us in a good light’.

PETALING JAYA: The decision to reduce the jail term of former prime minister Najib Razak sends a mixed message about the government’s war against corruption, says anti-corruption campaigner Edmund Terence Gomez.

Gomez, who leads the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism, said the decision by the Federal Territories Pardons Board was likely to affect Malaysia’s international image.

Gomez said that the SRC International case, in which Najib was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison, had been described as a “national embarrassment” by the Court of Appeal in 2021.

It became an international embarrassment when there were television programmes made to discuss the scandal, he said.

“We get them charged and convicted and then we get this outcome. What message are we sending out now?” he said.

Earlier today, the pardons board announced that Najib’s prison sentence has been reduced from 12 to six years and he will be released on Aug 23, 2028. A fine of RM210 million was reduced to RM50 million, with a further one-year jail term if the fine is not paid.

Gomez contended that Najib’s actions were unpardonable in the first place as it was a serious dereliction of duty by a prime minister in office.

He said the current government had been strongly advocating curbs on corruption, and he commended the actions to haul to court former prime ministers and a former finance minister.

However, the Pardons Board’s decision nullified the government’s efforts. “What does it say about how the government will deal with corruption by people in high places? What does it say about the current government for that matter?”

He said the decision could affect Malaysian’s standing on the corruption perception index ranking.

Gomez also called for an explanation of the board’s reasons for reducing Najib’s jail sentence. “There are a lot of questions coming out of this decision which unfortunately is not going to put us in a good light. So the onus must be on the Pardons Board to explain this decision.”

Political analyst James Chin of the University of Tasmania said the board’s decision would have an impact on Malaysia’s international reputation.

“People will think that there is a culture of impunity for top leaders in Malaysia, he said. “There will be this impression that they can get away with almost anything.”

Former Petrosaudi executive Xavier Justo, the whistleblower who leaked emails that helped to break the 1MDB scandal in 2015, said the reduced sentence highlighted “the unequal treatment between the wealthy and less privileged”. - FMT