KUALA LUMPUR – The home affairs minister must answer claims that RM3.5 million is being spent to accommodate jailed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who is serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption, DAP central executive committee member Syahredzan Johan said.
The figure, which purportedly includes RM50,000 to renovate Najib’s cell at Kajang Prison, has been circulating in an unverified WhatsApp message, prompting accusations that the government is practicing double standards in the treatment of prisoners.
“The home affairs minister needs to explain… the allocation for development expenditure for the repair and renovations of prisons under Budget 2022 is only RM12.4 million. So if true, how can RM3.5 million be used for just one prisoner?
Syahredzan said while the government should ensure that all prisoners are treated well and fairly, any special treatment that goes beyond the norm – such as pressuring civil servants to ensure the comfort of a VIP prisoner – would be highly inappropriate.
“If these allegations are not answered satisfactorily, it will erode the people’s confidence in the relevant institutions and affect the morale of civil servants in carrying out their responsibilities.”
The viral message which claims RM3.5 million is being spent on Najib’s health, transport and accommodation while he serves time, also alleged that the prisoner would be moved to the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital (CRH) to allow him better access to visitors – and that the former prime minister would also supposedly spend most of his 12-year sentence at the hospital.
The message prompted the Prisons Department to issue a statement yesterday that Najib had indeed been moved to the CRH for further treatment and observation.
This was later supported by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin who said Najib was transferred to CRH from Kuala Lumpur Hospital on the advice of doctors as he required physiotherapy.
Khairy did not specify what the physiotherapy was needed for, nor what ailment Najb had. Khairy also denied that Najib was receiving special treatment.
This morning, health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said only the court can be privy to a prisoner’s health information.
“Any detailed information about a patient’s health can only be submitted to the court (if ordered by the court),” he said in a Facebook post early this morning.
“The medical report on clinical investigations, treatment, and monitoring (for Najib), will be submitted to the court (by order of the court),” Noor Hisham said. – The Vibes, September 22, 2022
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