THE book Billion Dollar Whale, which revolves around businessman Low Taek Jho’s alleged role in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, will not criminalise former prime minister Najib Razak in his pending trial, said one of its authors.

In an interview with BFM radio, the book’s author Tom Wright dismissed the question raised by a listener who asked if the book will prejudice Najib’s trial.

“Will it prejudice his trial? I don’t think so. The judge will make his own decision on the case.

“Good journalism is about writing what you have evidence for, it’s about informing and there is this idea that Jho Low’s lawyers are saying somehow we are prejudicing the trial by our reporting. Well that is not how democracy works,” Wright said, referring to Low’s other moniker.

The Wall Street Journal journalist believed the judge will decide on the case without being influenced by any news coverage that had been surfacing on the scandal.

Wright co-authored the book with his colleague Bradley Hope. They were the individuals behind WSJ’s exposes of the 1MDB scandal and their work culminated in the book which was released last week globally.

The book was released a week earlier in Malaysia. It was sold out in a few bookshops on its first day.

Wright described the book as a “crime thriller”, adding it was an attempt to tell a story of 21st century capitalism that was taking place in the country.

Najib is facing 32 charges of money laundering, corruption and abuse of power linked to 1MDB and its former subsidiary SRC International.

In his last court appearance last week, the former prime minister was charged with 25 charges – four counts of corruption under the MACC Act and another 21 charges under the anti-money laundering laws.

The four charges were for two transfers amounting to US$681 million (RM2.6 billion) which were channeled into Najib’s personal bank account in March 2013.

Following the four charges, Najib was also charged with nine counts of receiving illegal proceeds, seven counts of transferring the proceeds to other entities and five counts of using illegal proceeds. – September 25, 2018.