KUALA LUMPUR – A video of jailed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak aired on TV1 recently is old footage, the Prisons Department said.
No recent filming was done of him in Kajang Prison, it added, in response to outcry on social media regarding Najib’s appearance on the Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) channel over the weekend.
“The department stresses that no video footage of him was made by any media agency from inside the prison premises as it is alleged.
“The video concerned was recorded earlier by RTM for a programme before Najib was imprisoned,” the department said in a statement.
DAP politician Nga Kor Ming tweeted a photo of Najib on TV1 last night, demanding the Prisons Department and RTM explain why a jailed convict was allowed to “campaign for BN”.
The screenshot of Najib speaking to the camera went viral, with Twitter users asking where the former prime minister really was and why he was being given airtime.
The department today said that the footage was filmed for episode 57 of the Kembara Keluarga Malaysia Programme, which explored the history of Pahang. Najib is the MP for Pekan, a parliamentary constituency in the state.
The episode was aired yesterday. “It is not related to politics,” the department said.
“People are urged not to disseminate information without further verification. Legal action can be taken against irresponsible individuals,” it added.
Najib began his 12-year prison sentence on August 23, when the Federal Court upheld his conviction and sentence for corruption in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case. – The Vibes, October 25, 2022
