KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 5): Datuk Seri Najib Razak is said to be not happy with some of the media headlines quoting Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer (IO) Nur Aida Arifin on Tuesday, as saying that she was investigating on allegations of US$681 million (RM3.634 billion) used by the former prime minister to buy votes in the 2013 general election.
His lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah complained to presiding Court of Appeal judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah that several media organisations (ie New Straits Times, Sinar Harian, The Malaysian Insight, and Astro Awani) which headlined the matter, and threatened to institute contempt proceeding against them, especially the NST.
“I have been instructed by my client [Najib] to make a contempt application against this misreporting. There is no evidence that the usage of the US$681 million was used to influence the general elections.”
Shafee also pointed out that a sum of US$620 million of the US$681 million had been repatriated out and hence he complained that the media headline of US$681 million used to buy votes is incorrect.
He admitted a portion of the funds were used to pay politicians and others but denied they were used to buy votes and it was wrong for Nur Aida to claim this as in her testimony citing the report.
The senior counsel complained that this was the reason he was complaining about Nur Aida’s testimony from the outset, as the IO was testifying as if making a conclusion for the case, where else she should only present the facts and let the court finally come to its own decision.
"This is not the duty of an IO," Shafee stressed.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib who led the prosecution said, the prosecution could not control what the media was reporting and what was reported was based on what Nur Aida said in quoting a document over a report made against Najib.
“We [The prosecution] cannot control what and how the press make their report. The information as to what Nur Aida said is what she quoted of what the report was about.”
“What the newspaper reports are beyond us. It is not fair for the defence to pin allegations against us that we are doing funny things here. I agree some parts of Nur Aida’s statement seemed so but whatever it is, it is to save time,” he added.
Ahmad Akram also agreed that the prosecution was amenable to amend Nur Aida’s testimony on Tuesday, namely removing the phrase that based on the documents and financial analysis “clearly showed the former premier was guilty of using his position for gratification under Section 23 of the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission Act 2009”.
The Edge is covering the trial live here.
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