A DAP lawmaker has urged firm rejection of Umno’s call for jailed former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said in a statement today that all criminal convictions must be enforced without bias, stressing that Umno’s request undermines justice and risks creating the impression of preferential treatment for political elites.
“Malaysia cannot become a two-tier nation, one law for the elite, another for the people. The rule of law must be upheld fairly, with integrity and consistency towards all, without exception.
“Najib has been found guilty by the highest court for the misuse of public funds. If an individual linked to the country’s largest financial scandal is granted such privileges, what message does this send to civil servants, other leaders, and ordinary citizens?
“Are the laws only strict towards those without position or influence?” he asked.
In response, Umno supreme council member Razlan Rafii said there was no double standard involved, as the matter falls within legal jurisdiction.
“Keep your hatred far away,” he told Lim.
Razlan noted that every individual has the right to appeal their conviction, and Najib is not the first to receive a pardon or sentence commutation.
Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki yesterday said the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) not disputing the existence of a royal addendum confirmed the decree allowing Najib’s home detention.
According to Asyraf, this acknowledgement supports Najib’s legal bid to compel the Home Ministry and Prison Department to carry out the house arrest.
Najib is currently serving a six-year jail term following his conviction in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case, after the Federal Court dismissed both his appeal and review application.
“It is hoped that by the grace of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Najib may be granted a reduction in his sentence, which has been delayed for over a year,” said Asyraf.
On Wednesday, senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan reportedly confirmed that while the AGC did not dispute the addendum’s existence, it was challenging how the document was submitted as new evidence in Najib’s High Court judicial review application.