Former Damansara MP Tony Pua said the police questioned him for more than an hour today over his remarks regarding the Pardons Board’s decision to reduce former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s jail sentence.
He entered the Bukit Aman police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur at around 1.10pm and spoke to the press after exiting the premises at around 2.30pm.
He said the police questioned him on five Facebook posts, with a total of 60 questions.
Pua said after his statement was recorded, police officers will be accompanying him home to seize his laptop for investigation.
“I will hand over my laptop later,” he said.
He added that he provided the police with his Facebook account login details, including his password.
He was accompanied by his lawyer and several DAP leaders today, including national chairperson Lim Guan Eng.
Pua was a political secretary to Lim when the latter was finance minister.
When asked for his comments, Lim said he would convey his views through the party’s internal channels.
DAP’s Tony Pua arrived at Bukit Aman to have his statement recorded in connection with his recent comments on the sentence reduction for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at around 12.50pm on Monday (Feb 5).
Pua was accompanied by a lawyer and others, including DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain has previously said that investigations had been launched after Pua’s comments, which were uploaded to his Facebook page, allegedly insulting the royal institution.
He said the comments had “elements of inciting the public to hate and insult the royal institutions”, in particular the rights of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong enshrined under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution.
Pua recently took to Facebook to criticise the Pardons Board’s decision on Najib. The board was chaired by the former Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The posts are as follows:
“Trust me. It’s not a scam”
“Oh wow. After all these years, Najib/UMNO cybertroopers still love me…
“I beg your pardon?”
“Can someone send me to jail for 1 year and in exchange, pay me RM50mil? Pretty please?”
“King Klep pardoned!!”
In an immediate response to the news, Pua again took to Facebook to share his sentiment.
“Ah. No escape after all.
“The IGP himself acted very fast, very efficient, working overtime on a Sunday, paying personal attention to the reports, presumably filed by UMNO boys,” he said in the Facebook post.
Since the decision was officially announced by the Pardons Board on Friday, many others besides Pua have also expressed their disappointment and criticisms for various reasons.
While several politicians and civil society movements have voiced displeasure at seeing Najib’s punishment being reduced, some others especially from Umno were also dissatisfied as they believe Najib should have been given a full pardon.
Najib himself had also expressed his disappointment over the board’s decision.
Pua is not standing down despite being slammed and asked to apologise for allegedly questioning the previous Agong’s decision to commute Najib’s sentence.
He subsequently uploaded a “remorseful post”, seeking “pardon from Umno Youth and to spare him a trip to Bukit Aman, again” for his statement to be taken on the matter.
However, his expression of regret was peppered with sarcasm.
In the same Facebook post, he dedicated a sarcastic riposte to Najib, expressing his “excitement” over the latter’s reduced sentence and slashed fine.
“Dear Najib, I’m so excited to hear of your well-deserved 50 percent commuted sentence to 2028 and a 74 percent fine reduction from RM210 million.
“I’m also pleased to hear that for an additional year’s detention at His Majesty’s pleasure, you will further save a handsome RM50 million.
“I am certain that you will use all these hard-earned savings to help all the orphans and the impoverished, as you have done in the past,” Pua wrote.
In a snide remark, he “expressed enthusiasm” over Najib “enjoying greater discounts in his sentence” if the latter demonstrates “good behaviour”.
“Gosh, we can look forward to you campaigning for Umno in the 2027 general election!”
He also took the opportunity to lampoon Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor – who was charged with money laundering and tax evasion.
“In the meantime, I also understand that your loving wife (Rosmah) might soon join you (Najib) for a couple of years to keep you company.
“As for your outstanding cases on 1MDB, I’m not worried. After all, your former deputy (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) succeeded in getting himself a discharge not amounting to acquittal.
“In the worst-case scenario, we can ask for more discounts.
“What joy! We are all looking forward (to it). Hang in there!”
This comes after Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh vowed that his movement would lodge police reports against Pua for his insolence in questioning the previous Agong’s decision.
“See you in court a**hole,” Akmal said on Facebook yesterday while also posting a screenshot of Pua’s posts.
Meanwhile, Umno vice-president Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail also called on Pua to remove his posts and apologise, failing which he could face legal action.