PUTRAJAYA – Datuk Seri Najib Razak has withdrawn allegations of bribery against the then high court judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali who convicted and sentenced the former prime minister to 12 years’ jail and a RM210 million fine for misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.
Najib, 69, made the withdrawal in his further affidavit-in reply filed at the Federal Court last Friday (August 5) via Messrs Zaid Ibrahim Suflan T.H. Liew & Partners.
“For the record, I categorically withdraw any interpretation of what I said which may be taken to mean that justice Mohd Nazlan was investigated for possible bribery,” said Najib.
At another point in the affidavit, Najib also said, “As regards to the allegations of bribery, I again state that I withdraw them.”
However, Najib continued to insist there is additional evidence that will show a serious conflict of interest by the judge and said this was why he was seeking a retrial for the entire SRC case.
Najib was responding to the prosecution’s July 21 affidavit, which had mentioned that the ex-prime minister’s purported personal knowledge of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigations into justice Nazlan cannot be true as the independent enforcement agency would not disclose confidential information relating to an ongoing investigation.
Recently, the prosecution in Najib’s SRC case claimed that the allegations by Najib against the trial judge Nazlan, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, were a desperate attempt to nullify the trial.
On April 21 this year, justice Nazlan made a police report over an article published by a news portal with the heading “Judge Mohd Nazlan being investigated for unexplained RM1 million in his bank account”, which alleged he was being investigated for money transferred into his bank account.
The judge denied the accusation, describing it as a malicious intent to undermine his credibility as Court of Appeal judge and to disrupt the justice system as well as the judicial institution.
In July 2020, justice Nazlan sentenced Najib to 12 years’ prison and a fine of RM210 million after finding him guilty of misappropriating RM42 million from SRC funds.
The case is at the final appeal stage in the Federal Court after the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of the high court and rejected the appeal of the former prime minister.
The apex court has set 10 days from August 15 to hear Najib’s final appeal. – Bernama, August 9, 2022
