'Baseless propaganda' - Najib denies BN win will lead to his freedom

GE15 | Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has expressed deep disappointment that his name is still being used for “baseless political propaganda” despite his imprisonment, due to claims that if BN wins the election he will be freed immediately via a pardon.

Najib, through a statement from his legal representatives Shafee & Co, called on his political opponents to stop spreading such propaganda.

"Our client wishes to categorically deny these allegations. Our client has consistently maintained since the commencement of his trials in 2018 that he wishes to get acquitted through the judicial process of the courts because not only does he want to secure his liberty but also his legacy and integrity.

"Our client urges his political rivals to no longer engage in unfounded political propaganda and allow the legal process to take its course.

"Our client is confident that his best chance of being released from prison is via the upcoming review application filed pursuant to Rule 137 of the Rules of the Federal Court 1995," the law firm said.

It said Najib's application for review is primarily on the basis that the process and decisions made by the Federal Court at his appeal amounted to a deprivation of his constitutional rights to a fair hearing.

This is because his counsel was not provided with the opportunity to sufficiently prepare himself for the appeal resulting in no submissions or arguments heard in his defence, it added.

"If the application for review is in his favour, our client shall seek a re-trial under a fair and just process to prove his innocence where he will be at liberty to present his case inclusive of the application to introduce facts and information that was previously not made available to the defence at trial,” it said.

Najib maintains his innocence

His lawyers reminded the public that following the rejection of Najib's application for a gag order before the SRC trial commenced, he had publicly requested for his hearing to be streamed online for the public to scrutinise as opposed to the limited scope of reporting by the mainstream media.

"Our client continues to maintain his innocence and that he had not spent any of the RM42 million on himself and neither did he ever ask or was offered the same as demonstrated by way of evidence that was heard in the SRC trial.

"On the contrary, as heard in court he had also spent RM642 million that he had received from the bank accounts of Saudi Arabia's Finance Ministry on corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives or via the political parties and NGOs - also not for his personal use.

"Our client further reiterates that he has never asked for and will never ask for his charges to be dropped," it said.

The legal firm also maintained that the High Court has found that all the items seized in 2018 during raids on Najib's properties at Langkak Duta and Pavillion are not proceeds of illegal activity but rather gifts to him and his family given over several decades by various dignitaries, family and friends.

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