The High Court's decision to sentence former prime minister Najib Razak to 15 years’ jail over the embezzlement of 1MDB funds sent a whistleblower down an emotional memory lane.
Xavier Andre Justo, a former Petrosaudi executive who endured jail time after whistleblowing on the scandal, penned a message on Facebook last night hailing the verdict as proof that "justice matters".
"This case was for years the embodiment of everything that was wrong when power, money, and corruption came together.
"It was a test for institutions and individuals and the ideal itself of accountability. It was far from certain that a just result would be reached.
"I am deeply grateful for the fairness, independence, and courage of the Malaysian judges and prosecutors in this case.
"Their efforts make a clear statement: nobody is beyond the law, regardless of his or her power in the past," he said.
Justo is a former Petrosaudi director who was responsible for leaking over 200,000 of the company's email communications, among others, in 2015, which sparked a multi-national investigation into 1MDB - a Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund that was founded by Najib.
The Swiss national endured a year in Thai jail for alleged blackmail and extortion of his former employer before being released in 2016.
His Facebook posting came hours after the High Court in Kuala Lumpur found Najib guilty on all four counts of abuse of power and all 21 money laundering charges linked to the 1MDB scandal.
The former Umno president was handed 15 years’ imprisonment and ordered to pay a total fine of RM11.38 billion for the four abuse of power offences.
Emotional moment
Justo said his mind was with Malaysians who suffered from 1MDB corruption that caused the country to lose billions.
"On a personal note, it is an emotional moment. It is the end result of years of hard work, of being isolated, of believing in the right thing, no matter how tall the price one has had to pay.
"It is reassuring to see the law at work, to see justice being served, to have one's faith restored, not just in the system, but in people.
"This ruling has wider implications than for Malaysia alone. This ruling applies to whistleblowers, corruption victims, and people who in the past were told that it’s pointless to speak the truth."
Rafizi: Once is enough
In a statement last night, former economy minister and Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli reflected on his own experiences linked to 1MDB, recalling his imprisonment in 2016, the dismissal of his appeal in 2017, and the sacrifices made by his family during that period.
“I remember the moment I was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment in connection with the 1MDB case as early as November 2016.
"I remember when electronic billboards in London displayed the news that I had been sentenced to prison for exposing the 1MDB audit report.
“Between 2013 and 2022, I wrote 123 articles and exposés on 1MDB," he said, adding that the articles are still accessible to the public via his blog.
Rafizi also labelled the case of 1MDB as one that is "undeniably divisive" and an "emotional case."
"Let us make peace with those emotions. What matters most is that we must never allow the same thing to happen again in the future.
"And if we must continue to speak out-no matter how tiring or uncomfortable it may be-we have a duty to do so, because one 1MDB in our history is more than enough," he added.
Rafizi also urged the public to respond to the case responsibly and within the law. The former PKR deputy president said that while everyone is entitled to their own views, those views should be based on the court’s full written judgment rather than speculation or unsubstantiated claims, as careless accusations could amount to contempt of court.
He also emphasised the need for people to consider all available information calmly and rationally, using reason and conscience, and to accept whatever personal conclusions they reach after doing so.
"Any party maintains the right to continue defending Najib, so long as it is within the law," he added. - Mkini
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