FORMER prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today denied allegations that he had held sway over the judiciary with regard to Najib Razak’s corruption trial.

The Gerakan Tanah Air chairman said that while he had appointed Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat to the role of chief justice when he was the prime minister, he had in no way influenced the judiciary.

“I appointed the CJ because I was the PM; this was the name they put forward and I approved,” Dr Mahathir said in a press conference after the Berjasa national assembly.

“But to say I have influence over the courts… there were three levels and nine judges all having the same opinion (that Najib was guilty).

“It has taken them four years. There has never been a case like this, even Anwar Ibrahim’s trial took only nine months.

“Najib was given every chance to defend himself, but all he did was apply to recuse people. It was his word against evidence in the documents in court.”

On Tuesday, the Federal Court denied upheld Najib’s sentence and conviction for embezzling millions of ringgit belonging to former 1MDB subsidiary, SRC International.

The apex court ordered the Pekan lawmaker to start service his 12-year jail sentence at once.

The former prime minister was also fined RM210 million fine in default of another five years of imprisonment.

Tengku Maimun chaired the five-member panel made up of her, Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and senior judges P. Nallini, Mary Lim Thiam Suan, and Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah. 

On July 28, 2020, then High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali sentenced Najib to 10 years in prison for each of the three counts of criminal breach of trust and each of the three counts of money laundering, and 12 years in prison and a RM210 million fine, in default of five years in prison, for power abuse. The sentences are to run concurrently.

On whether Najib will receive a royal pardon, Dr Mahathir said it is just the way things work in Malaysia.

“Pardon, that is not my power (to give); 50/50 chance he will get it. 

“In this country the law is not often respected. Even crooks can be well treated.” – August 27, 2022.