DAP reaffirms anti-graft stance after Najib’s 1MDB verdict

DAP national chairman Gobind Singh Deo says the 1MDB scandal is not merely a criminal case but a defining test of Malaysia’s institutions, governance and political will.

DAP national chairman Gobind Singh Deo said the 1MDB scandal had exposed deep systemic weaknesses that enabled the abuse of power to occur and persist for years, resulting in unprecedented financial losses and lasting damage to public trust. (Reuters pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 DAP remains firm in its fight against corruption and abuse of power, says its national chairman, Gobind Singh Deo, following Friday’s 1MDB corruption verdict against former prime minister Najib Razak.

Gobind, who is also Damansara MP, said the 1MDB scandal is not merely a criminal case but a defining test of Malaysia’s institutions, governance framework and political will to confront wrongdoing at the highest levels.

Gobind Singh Deo.

“While the High Court ruling forms an integral part of the larger effort required to bring about change in our country, we must push ahead with our call for reforms, moving into 2026,” he said in a statement.

Gobind also said the scandal exposed deep systemic weaknesses that enabled the abuse of power to occur and persist for years, resulting in unprecedented financial losses and lasting damage to public trust.

“For many Malaysians, this case came to symbolise the urgent need for institutional reform, accountability and the restoration of integrity in public administration.”

Gobind added that recent cases such as the shooting of three men in Melaka and other cases involving the death of inmates in police stations and prisons are further examples of how problems apparent for decades still continue.

“This can and must be dealt with urgently.

“There must likewise be urgent changes at the MACC. There are serious concerns about how certain arrests, investigations and cases are handled.

“The oversight mechanisms currently in place need to be reviewed and strengthened.”

He also said that enforcement agencies must improve in order to inspire greater public confidence moving forward.

“To do this, we (the government) need to deliver on reforms, develop better mechanisms which enhance good governance and build new structures to ensure cases like these, and the losses our country suffer as a consequence, are not repeated again in future.”

The High Court in Putrajaya had sentenced Najib to 15 years in prison and fined him RM11.387 billion following his conviction in the 1MDB case.

The court had found the former prime minister guilty of four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion in 1MDB funds deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah ordered Najib’s jail term to begin in 2028, after he completes his six-year prison sentence in the SRC International case. - FMT