IN the conviction of Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the jailed Najib Razak, the Malaysian judiciary has shown that political bigwigs can and do fall.

But how did this process begin ? It started with a clamour for reform via the Reformasi movement. It culminated in May 9, 2018, when the the 61-year reign of Umno/Barisan Nasional finally came to an end.

Although the “Sheraton Move” in February 2020 was a big setback for democracy, prosecution of most of the corruption cases continued, with the exception of several discharges not amounting to acquittal. Malaysians and the world worried that the kleptocrats would get away.

This is why the guilty verdict for the Rosmah Mansor trial is so important.

While there is an ongoing campaign by Umno to seek a royal pardon for her husband Najib Razak, the process is likely to be futile. 

The nomination for a pardon has to come from the Prime Minister’s Clemency Commission, which Ismail Sabri Yaakob has yet to activate. Forget not the other court cases that Najib has yet to complete.

Najib was convicted of embezzling RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of 1MDB, and sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million.

Rosmah Mansor, who liked to be referred to as the first lady, is out on bail of RM2 million.

She is likely to appeal her conviction and sentence of 10 years in prison and a RM970 million fine in lieu of jail.

Rosmah’s lawyer, Jagjit Singh has criticised the fine as being “too high”. “ To be sure, the sum is  unprecedented, the largest in Malaysian history.

“Now our client has to come up with nearly RM1 billion, and she doesn’t have a source of income,” he told reporters outside the court.

However, Malaysians should not be celebrating yet.

The judges who stood firm in the two cases will not serve forever. The judges come after may not have the same courage.

Umno is already showing signs of trying to reassert dominance over the judiciary. Azalina Othman Said, a former deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker, a lawyer and an MP, is already asking the party to put a lease on the future attorney-general should BN return to power.

But the verdicts for Najib and Rosmah should be applauded. The judiciary has worked – for now.

Kudos also to Ismail, who has stood his ground and withstood pressure from his party to interfere with the judicial process.

Malaysians will still have to vote for politicians who will uphold the independence of the judiciary.

Reform to weed out corruption must continue unabated. The solution is straight-out rejection of the kleptocrats. This is because the moment BN returns to Putrajaya, it will indeed do as Azalina says. – September 2, 2022.

* Dr Rais Hussin is Emir Research CEO.
 

* 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.