KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — Supporters of jailed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today lodged a police report alleging cover-ups in the probe against judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who presided and sentenced the former Pekan MP over the misappropriation of RM42 million of government-owned firm SRC International Sdn Bhd.
The group lodged their report at the Dang Wangi police station alleging vagueness in the investigation, especially after a document alleged to be the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) investigation paper (IP) on Mohd Nazlan was leaked online.
“This is not about Najib Razak solely. No, it’s not. As Malaysians that love this nation, we must make sure that the system that protects us as citizens, this justice system, must be truly transparent, must be truly clean, so that justice can prevail.
“But in this case ... the MACC has done its investigation and sent the papers to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC), the AGC denied, the MACC again issued a statement that the investigation has been completed, handed to the Attorney General, but to date, the question on the position of Judge Nazlan, his misdeed for not self-declaring that he has a conflict of interest, caused people to have a trust deficit on the country’s justice system,” Umno’s Muhammad Farhan Khairuddin said.
He said what happened in the case of Mohd Nazlan is “beyond the law”.
He also called on Attorney General Tan Sri Idrus Harun “to not be selfish” and to put the country first.
Former Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra) vice-president Datuk Hamidah Osman said the group decided to lodge a police report as there have been no statements from the MACC and the AG if the leaked IP on Mohd Nazlan is legit or otherwise.
“What is important is that a wrong is a wrong. Judges are also normal humans. They are not saints, they are not God. So when you become a judge, you don’t make mistakes? We have heard of many cases whereby the judge accepts bribes,” she said.
Hamidah also chastised the Malaysian Bar, questioning why the Bar was seemingly defending Mohd Nazlan as if “this judge is clean, holy and did not do any wrong”.
She said the group is not merely demanding for Najib to be freed, but to have the case properly investigated, alleging foul play.
“Even if we want to fight for Datuk Seri Najib to be freed, there are grounds for that,” she said.
Hamidah added that the group is demanding for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), but noted that the process is arduous.
In the months leading up to Najib’s final SRC International appeal hearing at the Federal Court, wild allegations circulated online against Mohd Nazlan in an apparent mudslinging attempt.
Mohd Nazlan had, however, lodged a police report over fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin’s April 20 article which claimed an investigation had been launched over a purported RM1 million sum in his account.
Ahead of his final SRC International appeal hearing, Najib had in June filed an application to nullify or push for a retrial of the SRC International case by seeking to admit new evidence regarding Mohd Nazlan’s purported conflict of interest due to alleged failure to disclose his previous Maybank roles. Najib had, however, ultimately dropped any allegations of bribery against the judge.
The Federal Court, however, unanimously rejected Najib’s bid to admit new evidence against Mohd Nazlan, as part of his final appeal over his conviction.
On May 21, the MACC announced that it had completed investigations — which it said had started in March — for a case involving Mohd Nazlan and said the investigation papers had been presented to the AGC on May 18 for further study and direction.
On May 23, news portal Malaysiakini reported Idrus as saying that the AGC is still examining the investigation papers by the MACC on Mohd Nazlan.
Idrus had, at the time, reportedly said that a decision on the matter will only be made after the AGC has completed “perusing” the investigation findings.
On August 21 however, Idrus said that the investigation paper Mohd Nazlan was not with the AGC, when asked about the purported IP that was leaked. This triggered an uproar from mostly Umno members and Najib loyalists, who questioned the progress of the investigation.
On September 8, however, MACC’s chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki clarified that the IP on Mohd Nazlan was with the MACC.
Azam said it is the norm for investigation papers to travel between MACC and Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC).
