Transport Minister Anthony Loke has brushed aside Najib Abdul Razak’s apology over the 1MDB scandal.
He also appeared to dismiss the possibility that the former premier would be eligible for house arrest once a law on that form of incarceration is enacted.
Speaking to the media today, Loke said that Najib’s apology does not change the fact that a crime had occurred.
“It’s not a question of accepting any apology. With or without the apology, a crime is a crime.
“He has been convicted, and the conviction, of course, has been upheld by the (apex) court. He was found guilty. That remains a fact. So to me, the apology does not mean anything,” he was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.
The court convicted Najib of corruption in the SRC International case, which is related to but not the same as the 1MDB scandal, which is still on trial.
Najib is serving jail time for the SRC conviction but is fighting to be placed under house arrest.
Loke stressed today that the house arrest law the government is working on had nothing to do with Najib.
The DAP secretary-general added that those convicted of “serious” crimes would not be eligible.
“There is a certain threshold so that (convicts of) a certain crime cannot be put under house arrest. Of course, for crimes which are serious, they are not permitted for house arrest.
“As far as Najib is concerned, he is still facing multiple charges,” he said.
Apart from the SRC International case, Najib still faces various other 1MDB-related cases in court including the RM2.28 billion 1MDB corruption case, the RM6.6 billion International Petroleum Investment Company criminal breach of trust case, and a money laundering case involving RM27 million from SRC.
Najib last week apologised for the 1MDB scandal but maintained his innocence and claimed he was duped by wanted businessperson Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low.
Following this, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had “welcomed” the apology. – Malaysiakini