‘Trial videos give false insight’
Liew: Act against those who posted Najib’s proceedings on FB
KOTA KINABALU: De facto Law Minister Datuk Liew Vui Keong is calling on court officials to take action against those who uploaded a video showing snippets of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s court case on social media platforms including Facebook.
Such recordings, Liew said, were not supposed to be shared on any media platforms without the consent of the chief judge.
“I was made to understand that his (Najib’s) defence counsel have obtained the permission to get video recordings of the proceedings from the court,” he said in Sandakan yesterday.
He said that from his understanding of the terms and conditions after obtaining such court recordings, one must get the approval of the chief judge before the recordings were allowed to be shared on social media.
“I think this should not be taken lightly and the court should take action against those who uploaded the video,” he said.
Liew said the clip, which was obviously edited, gave false insight into what actually transpired in the courtroom.
The clip, lasting less than three minutes, which can also be viewed on YouTube, shows what seems to be a lawyer cross-questioning a witness on Najib’s house renovation works, among others.
Najib, who is also the former finance minister, is on trial for seven charges involving RM42mil belonging to SRC International.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Najib said he was worried that media reports would not portray the right picture of his trial to the rakyat.
He then asked that the government allow direct broadcast of the trial via Facebook Live.
On a different matter, Liew said he would be meeting with Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to further discuss matters concerning the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Apart from fostering closer rapport with the Sarawak lawmakers, Liew also hopes to get them to understand more about the proposal to amend Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution which, among others, aims to restore Sabah and Sarawak’s status as equal partners in the federation of Malaysia.
“We did not get the Bill to amend this Article passed in Parliament and most of those who refrained from voting were Gabungan Parti Sarawak MPs.
“I hope to meet them soon to help them understand what we are trying to achieve with regard to this proposed amendment,” he added.
Liew said he appreciated that the Sabah state assembly had taken the initiative to endorse the amendment of Article 1(2) of the Constitution and this gave a positive signal to the Federal Government on the Bill, which failed to get a twothirds majority in Parliament on April 9.
“The unanimous endorsement by the Sabah politicians, regardless of whether they are in government or opposition, is a positive development for the pushing of Sabah and Sarawak’s rights and equal partners status pursuant to MA63,” he said.