COMMENT | On Tuesday, July 3, 2018, former premier Najib Razak made much of the nation happy.

From 4pm, my phone had to cope with an endless delirious stream of emojis – rows of clapping hands, profuse scattering of colourful confetti, champagne corks popping, grinning, laughing, tongue-sticking-out faces.

A couple of hours later, there were vids of news channels, and links to international and local news reports and comments.

A few, scarred victims of fake news, restrained their explosion of joy till they checked with me: true or not?

My affirmative reply released them to contribute to the blizzard of emojis.

I laughed at one plaintive response: at last!

It may be the end of a suspenseful wait, but it’s just the start of a long wait for judgment. The trial starts early next year.

That’s only one small skeleton, the first, from Najib’s closet that will be examined. Surely, he will be answerable for more than RM42 million.

When more skeletons are dug out and ready for legal forensics, I foresee Najib having so many days in court, he could still be a defendant and an appellant when GE15 comes round.

Having him still in the dock at that time would be a good reminder to the electorate why they voted to end the rule of Umno and its token satellites.

Obscene wealth

In his interview with Malaysiakini, Najib explained the loot seized from Pavilion Residences as gifts, over the many years of his public service, from friends and his son-in-law.

He piously said that when VIPs presented him with an expensive gift, it would have been impolite to reject it.

So well brought up.

Except that he said also that some of the jewellery seized were pieces sent for viewing and consideration.

He said the jewellers have sent letters establishing their legal claim to the pieces and their return.

He shouldn’t have embellished the story.

When you get something valuable sent to you to consider buying, and you, for whatever reason, decide it’s not for you, I expect you to say, “No, thanks, send it back to them,” not “No but thanks, send it to the storage-condo.”

“Obscene wealth” used to be just a figure of speech for me, but Najib and his wife have given meaning and meat to the words.

Obscene as in indecent, offensive, shocking.

And just like pornography, the trials of Najib, instead of repelling, will draw the lascivious attention of the many people who like to wallow in the expose of sordid details of people behaving badly.

THOR KAH HOONG is a veteran journalist.