Criminally convicted former Malaysian premier Najib Razak, 68, and his graft-accused wife Rosmah Mansor, 69, are set to travel abroad for the first time in more than three years after courts in Kuala Lumpur allowed the pair to temporarily reclaim their impounded passports to visit their pregnant daughter in Singapore.
Lenience shown to the ex-premier and his wife have arguably validated misgivings that with the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) – the long-ruling party Najib once led – now back in power, the corruption-accused pair have a better chance of wriggling out of their legal troubles either through appeal, acquittal or even an eventual royal pardon.
A ruling by the Court of Appeal on Monday (October 18) permitted Najib to travel abroad from October 20 to November 22, just days after the country’s High Court approved a similar application for Rosmah, both of whom were barred from leaving Malaysia after the defeat of Najib’s scandal-plagued coalition at a historic 2018 general election.
In his application to the court, the ex-premier said he needed to provide mental and emotional support to his daughter Nooryana Najwa Najib, who experienced serious complications when giving birth to her first child and is due to deliver her second child soon at a private hospital in Singapore, where she lives.
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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.
