Questions of judicial integrity are swirling over ex-premier's corruption trial after prosecutors drop charges against his stepson
Najib Razak’s corruption hearings resumed this week in Malaysia amid growing speculation that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government could be prepared to facilitate more lenient treatment of the scandal-tainted ex-premier than had been the case under the preceding Mahathir Mohamad administration.
With Muhyiddin’s three-month-old premiership propped by an alliance with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the long-ruling party Najib led and over which he still wields a degree of influence, observers wonder whether the new leader has the political will to press ahead with top-level prosecutions initiated by Mahathir’s government.
State prosecutors’ recent decision to drop money-laundering charges against Riza Aziz, Najib’s film producer stepson, as part of an asset forfeiture deal has, moreover, raised new questions about judicial independence, a persistent concern under Najib’s tenure.
The plea bargain also has stoked a backlash that continues to play out among top lawyers, with the country’s ex-attorney general emphatically rebutting claims by his Muhyiddin-appointed successor that he had agreed “in principle” to the controversial settlement’s terms.
Najib Razak’s corruption hearings resumed this week in Malaysia amid growing speculation that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government could be prepared to facilitate more lenient treatment of the scandal-tainted ex-premier than had been the case under the preceding Mahathir Mohamad administration.
With Muhyiddin’s three-month-old premiership propped by an alliance with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the long-ruling party Najib led and over which he still wields a degree of influence, observers wonder whether the new leader has the political will to press ahead with top-level prosecutions initiated by Mahathir’s government.
State prosecutors’ recent decision to drop money-laundering charges against Riza Aziz, Najib’s film producer stepson, as part of an asset forfeiture deal has, moreover, raised new questions about judicial independence, a persistent concern under Najib’s tenure.
The plea bargain also has stoked a backlash that continues to play out among top lawyers, with the country’s ex-attorney general emphatically rebutting claims by his Muhyiddin-appointed successor that he had agreed “in principle” to the controversial settlement’s terms.
Read the full story at Asia Times.
Nile Bowie is a journalist and correspondent with the Asia Times covering current affairs in Singapore and Malaysia. He can be reached at nilebowie@gmail.com.
