PLANTATION Industries and Commodities Minister Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali should be charged in court for flouting quarantine orders, said Najib Razak.

The former prime minister said Khairuddin should be charged to settle the anger surrounding the PAS leader’s failure to follow quarantine rules after his return from Turkey. 

“Prosecute the minister of plantation in court. Not because I want to criticise PAS but because many people are very dissatisfied with this matter. 

“Let the court decide if he is not guilty or what the punishment is because I understand that the Health Ministry or Immigration (Department) missed the mandatory quarantine order on him,” Najib said in a post on Facebook today.

Khairuddin paid a RM1,000 compound on August 7 but the Health Ministry said its top officials, including the director-general and infectious disease control head, were not informed of his quarantine breach earlier and only knew of the matter when the media reported it.

The Kuala Nerus MP is under investigation for flouting the mandatory quarantine after returning from Turkey on July 7.

Najib said Khairuddin must face action as it has become fodder for the opposition to attack Putrajaya.

He said DAP’s Lim Kit Siang has picked up on the issue and is harping on it.

“This is to stop (the matter) from becoming Pakatan Harapan propaganda because I am tired of seeing Kit Siang making multiple posts on the same issue.”

The Pekan MP added that conviction would not be the be-all and end-all for Khairuddin. 

“If you lose, you can still appeal,” Najib said. 

The Kuala Lumpur High Court found Najib guilty on July 29 of seven criminal charges – three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power – over abusing his power to illicitly receive RM42 million in his personal account from SRC International.

Najib is appealing the verdict. – October 7, 2020.