FORMER prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has taken another dig at Najib Razak, calling the latter a privileged convict on the loose because of Malaysia’s judicial system. 

The Pejuang chairman said Malaysians have become a laughing stock to many for giving a convict “royal treatment”. 

”Even four years after he (Najib) was charged in court, he is still free,” the Langkawi MP said at a press conference after a presidential meeting with his newly formed Gerakan Tanah Air movement in Putrajaya today. 

“The world is laughing at us seeing how a prisoner gets such a privileged treatment. 

“The whole world knows (he is guilty). The United States has found him guilty but in Malaysia he dresses smartly, goes to parliament and tells the government what to do, how to do and ‘how to steal money’. 

“This (Najib) is the adviser to the government,” Dr Mahathir added. 

Najib was found guilty of corruption and was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million by the High Court in relation to the misappropriation of RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds, a former subsidiary of the scandal-tainted 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). 

Najib has reiterated his innocence and has been out on bail pending his appeals.

Comparing Malaysia’s judicial systems with that of other countries, Dr Mahathir said Najib is lucky to be still free because the country takes after the British judicial system. 

“If in France, a person is considered guilty until they prove to the court that they are not guilty. The system says you are guilty until proven innocent. 

“This British system (which we follow in Malaysia), says you are innocent until proven guilty.

“In other countries, even if you appeal when proven guilty, you still have to go to prison and wait until the court finds you not guilty. 

“But in Malaysia, even when he (Najib) is appealing, it seems as though he is not guilty,” the nonagenarian said. 

Despite Najib’s tactics to delay his proceedings at the Federal Court, Dr Mahathir said that he has faith in the courts. 

“What he wants to do is to delay everything so that during the general election, he is still not guilty and still appealing. 

“It is up to the court to decide. We place our faiths in the courts of Malaysia,” he said. – August 18, 2022.