Conceding it is improbable that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will be charged, Zaid Ibrahim nevertheless speculated on the bail amount if such a situation transpired.

The former law minister was commenting on the RM1 million bail set for Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, which Zaid considered excessive.

He noted that the RM1 million bail trend started with former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, and now Lim, for alleged offences involving a few million ringgit.

“Although unlikely to be charged, Najib will attract RM1 billion bail, going by the principles adopted by our courts.

“It’s real crazy, but that’s Malaysia for you. Bail amount should not depend on the amount of money taken by the accused,” he tweeted.

Najib has repeatedly denied abusing public funds for personal gain, and blamed such allegations on those conspiring to topple him.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali has also cleared the prime minister of any wrongdoing, but his detractors continue to harp on the RM2.6 billion ‘donation’ which was found in Najib’s bank account.

Meanwhile, Zaid claimed that a bail of RM100,000 would have been adequate for Lim.

“It’s just to secure attendance in court. Lim as the incumbent chief minister will surely attend trial. He is not running anywhere,” he said.

Yesterday, Lim claimed trial at the High Court in Penang to two corruption charges - one under Section 23 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act and another under Section 165 of the Penal Code.

The charges are over his approval of an application by Magnificent Emblem Sdn Bhd to convert a piece of land from agricultural to residential purpose, as well as over his purchase of a bungalow from businesswoman Phang Li Koon at RM2.8 million, which was below the property’s market value of RM4.27 million.