Umno veep can sense 'sincerity' in Najib's apology

Umno vice-president Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail is convinced that former premier Najib Abdul Razak’s apology for the 1MDB scandal is genuine.

After scrutinising Najib's statement, the Pahang menteri besar said he could "sense" that the politician from his home state made the remarks with a "pure motive and sincerity".

“His open apology to the people of Malaysia was not to garner sympathy but rather a magnanimous action by someone who has been made responsible for the wrongs which he did not commit and had been duped and taken advantage of,” he added in a statement.

Furthermore, Wan Rosdy (above) said Najib’s statement also showed that the former premier had always prioritised the people’s interests and certain irresponsible parties had exploited this.

“I pray that Najib is freed and justice prevails,” he said, hoping that the real culprits behind the scandal would face the music for their crime.

Yesterday, Najib, in a statement read out by his son Nizar at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, apologised that the 1MDB scandal happened during his watch but maintained his innocence.

“It pains me every day to know that the 1MDB debacle happened under my watch as finance minister and prime minister.

“For that, I would like to apologise unreservedly to the nation,” he said

The former premier also cited an article by The Edge published earlier this month, which showed how fugitive financier Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) and Petrosaudi executives Patrick Mahoney and Tarek Obaid colluded to swindle 1MDB funds.

‘I was duped’

Najib, who is serving a six-year prison sentence and is embroiled in other legal proceedings related to 1MDB, claimed that the article showed he was duped.

“The Edge had reached a conclusion in their article that Petrosaudi and Jho Low had collaborated to deceive me, that I was not aware that Petrosaudi was siphoning 1MDB funds and that I did not knowingly receive any money from the funds sent by 1MDB to Petrosaudi.

“As hard as it is for some people to fathom, I was advised and honestly believe at the time that the funds I received were political donations from Saudi Arabia,” he said.

However, The Edge article did not fully exonerate him.

The article concludes that Najib was unaware of the theft of 1MDB funds, but only up to 2010 at least, and regarding the theft of US$1.5 billion from bonds raised in 2009.

The article did not conclude whether or not Najib remained in the dark later on.

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