PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has appeared to welcome the apology issued by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over the 1MDB scandal.
"Terima baik (well-received)," said Anwar when questioned by the press after Friday prayers at Surau Ar-Rahman Presint 16 in Putrajaya today.
Najib yesterday apologised to Malaysians over the mishandlings in 1MDB, saying he was deeply shocked and regretful over what had happened at the Finance Ministry-owned company.
The former prime minister also said that he should not be made a victim or be held legally responsible over 1MDB, as he has been “punished politically”.
Najib said that PetroSaudi and Low had collaborated to deceive him and that he was not aware that PetroSaudi was siphoning 1MDB funds, based on Swiss court proceedings and an analysis by The Edge.
The High Court is expected to deliver its verdict on the case at the conclusion of the prosecution's case next week.
Najib's statement comes on the heels of Anwar's announcement, during the tabling of Budget 2025 last week, that the government would introduce a new law to allow house arrest as an alternative sentence for certain offences.
Najib, 71, is currently serving his jail term as he was convicted over the misappropriation of former 1MDB subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd’s RM42 million, and cannot speak to the public directly as a prisoner. - October 25, 2024
