KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has maintained that his comments on Datuk Seri Najib Razak during an interview with Hong Kong-based news outlet Asia Times must be taken “in totality”.
In a statement today, Mohamad Hasan, otherwise known as Tok Mat, further stressed that his statements should not be viewed in a “piecemeal” way that could lead to an inaccurate interpretation.
“It is important for me to emphasise that the overall context of the interview is my assertion that every accused person is entitled to fair judgment without any conflict of interest as well as amnesty under Malaysian law granted after an accused has commenced serving his sentence.
“Everything that is out of context only gives a negative image to Najib and myself and is used as propaganda material by Umno’s political enemies.
“I no longer intend to comment on this matter and my overall focus is to prepare the party for the 15th general elections,” he said.
On Tuesday, Asia Times published an article following an interview with Tok Mat, quoting the politician as saying that Najib should be sentenced to imprisonment for his part in the 1MDB scandal.
However, Tok Mat then disputed the report, saying his statements were taken out of context.
In response, the Asia Times journalist who conducted the interview, Nick Kochan, released the full audio recording of the interview and stood by the accuracy of the report.
Najib has been convicted on all charges related to the misappropriation of RM42 million from a former 1MDB unit and is on trial in two other cases related to the global corruption scandal.
