Dr M warns hasty bid to charge Najib may see him go free.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said while many people were asking for the arrest of the former premier, it was not so easy.
“Lots of people are waiting for his arrest but it is not easy…we need to collect the kind of evidence that will stand up in court and if we fail to do so then he might win.
“Just imagine what would happen if Najib wins a court trial and he is found not guilty…then all the promises that we made, the bad things that we say about him will be questioned by the people who voted us in,” he said.
Dr Mahathir was speaking during the dinner with some 250 Malaysians in Japan on Sunday (June 10) night.
He also took a swipe at the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) administration, saying the new Pakatan government has no influence over the judiciary.
“Unlike the previous government, we don’t have any influence over the courts.
“We have decided we will be truly democratic in the sense that the people’s choice must be respected, we must understand democratic rules and procedures and we must not take power in our hands.
“Therefore we do not want to rush to throw people into jails and hope to gather enough evidence to charge Najib in court.
“That’s a relief for Najib,” he said, adding that the former premier was, however, not allowed to leave the country.
He also brought up the disappearance of Datuk Seri Jamal Yunos, much to the amusement of those present.
“Even Jamal Tongkol has disappeared so we will not know who else is next.
“But before those individuals disappear, the government can use the laws of the country to punish those guilty of breaking the law,” he said.
He also said because Najib was using stolen money to pay ‘everyone’, this was not sustainable, adding that some people would suffer because the restructuring and rehabilitation of the country’s RM1 trillion debt was not easy.
“Some people will not be able to perform their haj because the Government won’t be paying for them to perform their haj with stolen money.”