IN a recent affidavit filed by Najib Razak in response to an injunction filed by SRC International and Gadingan Mentari, he revealed to the court that his assets were worth RM4.49 million.

The assets comprised a RM2.5 million deposit with Amanah Saham Nasional, RM1.3 million cash and the rest properties in his name.

News reports in 2016 have informed the people of his lavish spending when he was the prime minister.

Najib spent US$15 million (RM58 million based on the exchange rate at the time) from 2014 to 2016 on holidays, shopping and jewellery in Malaysia, the US, and Italy.

Even though the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) issued a statement saying his lifestyle was financed by family wealth, his siblings, however, made it clear that the family did not have a large inheritance as suggested by the PMO.

His recent declaration that he only has RM4.49 million has affirmed his siblings’ declaration.

It is not necessarily a problem for wealthy people to hold public office.

But for Najib, who does not appear to come from a wealthy family, to spend millions of dollars amounting to 10 times more than his assets is a sign that was living beyond his means.

How did he come to have those millions in his accounts?

The Prime Minister’s Department has confirmed that Najib was paid a monthly salary of RM18,168.15 from January to April 2009 when the deputy prime minister.

When he became prime minister in May 2009, his monthly salary increased to RM22,826.65.

Parliament administrative officer Farah Nurdiana Azhar, confirmed that from January 2011 to December 2014, Najib received a monthly salary of RM10,355.18, which increased to RM19,000 in January 2015 to March 2018, for his role as a lawmaker.

This means that Najib drew about RM78,000 a month in total from 2009 to 2018.

Let’s be generous and assume that Najib was drawing a monthly salary of RM78,000 from the day he became an MP. Even so, he would not have been able to accrue RM58 million by 2016 to spend as he did.

Najib has much explaining to do. – August 7, 2022.

* FLK reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.