Najib deserves chance to redeem himself, says anti-graft NGO

Summary

• MCW says Najib Abdul Razak deserves to be given the chance to redeem and rehabilitate himself amid the issue of his royal addendum on house arrest.

• Its president Jais Abdul Karim says Najib's contributions as a former premier cannot be discounted.

• He says the monarchy's decisions must be respected.

As the issue of Najib Abdul Razak’s royal addendum on house arrest continues to make headlines, an NGO has chimed in to say that it believes the former premier deserves the opportunity to redeem himself.

In urging all parties to afford respect for due process in relation to the commutation of the former PM’s sentence, the Malaysian Corruption Watch (MCW) said Najib should be given a chance at redemption and rehabilitation just as everyone else.

"While we strongly uphold the fight against corruption, we must also honour and respect the decisions made by the monarchy, as enshrined in our Constitution," its president Jais Abdul Karim said in a statement today.

Najib's contributions as a former premier also cannot be discounted, he added.

Jais was responding to civil society voicing their concern over the commutation of Najib's sentence.

C4 Center slams govt’s ‘leniency’

Yesterday, the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) condemned the possibility of Najib serving out the remainder of his sentence at home, calling it “unwarranted leniency”.

It criticised the Anwar Ibrahim-led government for what seemed to be a lack of commitment to reforms and a worrying sympathy for those involved in corruption cases.

C4 Center also chided the prime minister for defending Najib's pardon, saying that Anwar should not sympathise with a crime of such magnitude.

Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal granted Najib’s appeal to commence a judicial review at the High Court to compel the government to enforce a document granting Najib house arrest.

The royal addendum supplements the main Pardons Board decision which reduced Najib’s initial 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine to a six-year custodial term and RM50 million fine.

Najib’s sentence stems from his conviction for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering involving RM42 million from SRC International, a former subsidiary of the scandal-ridden 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.

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