Kuala Lumpur: The decision to free Najib Razak from a charge of alleged abuse of power by causing amendments to the 1MDB audit report is a positive one for the family, says Rosmah Mansor.
The former prime minister’s wife said the decision by the High Court would also boost the morale of the former Umno president, who is currently serving a 12-year jail term after his conviction and sentencing in the SRC International case was upheld by the Federal Court last year.
“Today’s case is a victory not only for my husband but also for our family,” she told reporters outside the High Court here.
“Of course, this decision restores our spirits … of not just Datuk Seri (Najib) but our family.”
She added that Najib, the former Pekan MP, was grateful for today’s decision and hoped that rulings in the other court cases he is facing will also end in his favour.
Earlier today, the High Court here freed Najib from a charge of alleged abuse of power by causing amendments to the 1MDB audit report.
Co-accused and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy was also acquitted of a charge of abetting Najib in the commission of the offence.
Justice Zaini Mazlan held that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against Najib under Section 23 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
He said that he also found “no causal link between the amendments made and the gratification alleged.”
“There is no evidence to suggest or prove that the second accused (Najib) had explicitly directed (that) the amendments (be) made to exonerate him from any civil or criminal liability.
“He was merely concerned that the report would be spun politically,” the judge said.
