KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) has praised the Federal Court’s decision to uphold disgraced former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s previous verdict and sentence of 12 years in prison and a fine of RM210 million for his role in the 1MDB scandal.
Bersih claimed that the Federal Court today demonstrated that it would not submit to political or public pressure, and is a fair platform that deals equally to all parties in its administration of justice.
“The judiciary is an important institution to our democracy, it administers justice and upholds the rule of law. The Federal Court has demonstrated that it will not yield before political and public pressures, and is being fair and just to all parties in the administration of justice.
“This verdict sends a clear and strong message that corruption will not be tolerated and no one is above the law,” Bersih said in a statement.
It then called for a redoubling of efforts to combat corruption and abuse of power to ensure an end to those who plunder public funds for their own keepsake.
“Legislative reforms such as the Political Financing Bill and the National Anti-Corruption Plan or MyGovernance must be introduced immediately to ensure that our country does not slip back again to kleptocracy,” it said.
It then called on Malaysians to respect the Federal Court’s decision, and thanked all those who came out during the protests against the 1MDB scandal pre-pandemic
Najib today failed in his final appeal against the High Court’s guilty conviction over the SRC International Sdn Bhd corruption case.
The decision marks a historic moment for Malaysian politics as the country will witness for the first time a former prime minister head to jail.
The final day of the hearing saw Najib trying to recuse Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat from presiding over the case, which was rejected.
The Court of Appeal had on December 8, 2021 upheld the High Court’s July 2020 verdict and sentence of 12 years in prison and a fine of RM210 million meted against Najib.
Najib had been found guilty of one count of abuse of power, three counts of criminal breach of trust, and three counts of money laundering.
