Najib not likely to contest next GE as he will be charged with graft, says Dr M

PUTRAJAYA: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak may not be around to contest the next general election as he is likely to be charged with embezzlement, graft and “a lot of other things”.

In an interview with Channel NewsAsia yesterday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad gave the clearest hint yet that Najib would soon be hauled to court over his alleged involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.

“I think whatever it is, the decision (to charge him) has to be made now,” Dr Mahathir said.

However, he denied that the allegations against Najib as a political persecution scheme. Some had equated Najib’s fate to that of PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“The case (Najib and 1MDB) is clearer... the whole election was based on this accusation.

“So, people are not going to say, well, we are persecuting this man and all that. They know of the wrong things that he has done. Their worry is that he might escape... good lawyers might get him off the hook.

“(There’s been a) disappearance of huge sums of money and then the appearance of money inside his account.

“All these point towards a criminal act... but, on the other hand, if you want to go to the court, you must be able to prove (this) every step of the way.”

He said it was up to AttorneyGeneral Tommy Thomas to “make out a good case before going to the court”.

He also claimed that the new government had been “plagued by the corruption of the past administration”, which led to the appointments of key officials to replace those implicated in the scandal.

“Because they are involved in corruption and mismanagement of government funds, we need to move them out.

“It’s not just because they may support the previous government... it’s because of their wrongdoings.”

He, however, admitted that graft existed during his first stint as prime minister between 1981 and 2003.

“But, of course, the level was not so high. But when the prime minister is believed to be corrupt, then you find all down the line, people tend to be less careful about whether what they do is right or wrong.”

Channel NewsAsia also asked Dr Mahathir whether there was truth behind the labels reserved for him by his then political enemies and rivals.

“I don’t know. When I was previously prime minister, people called me a dictator, they called me nasty names.

“I never thought it was justified. Even if it had been justified, I don’t think the opposition then would accept me as their leader.

“But normally, when you are in power, people will demonise you, whether you are right or wrong. They have to demonise you to fight against you.”