COMMENT | From the time the scandal broke in mid-2014 until the 14th general election in 2018, the well-rehearsed mantra was “1MDB is a conspiracy to overthrow the democratically elected government led by Najib Abdul Razak”.

From petty politicians to ministers, and from bootlickers to sycophants, the theory was crafted to absolve Najib of culpability.

Yet, instead of resolution, it unravelled into a maze of twists, with the machinery of government enlisted to stage what became the nation’s most audacious hoax.

Providing theories and analytics to these characters were spin doctors and strategic consultants whose primary concern was ensuring Najib and the BN government retained power, and for the whiff of the 1MDB scandal to go away.

As the results of the elections trickled in in the early morning of May 10, 2018. The protagonists of such a theory melted into the woodwork, never to be heard of thereafter.

Paul Stadlen and Apco, the spin masters engaged by...