KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 8): Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Monday complained about Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer (IO) Nur Aida Arifin’s testimony over a yacht meeting in 2009, and is also seeking to bar the airing of the Netflix movie “Man on the Run”.

His lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said he watched the Netflix movie on Sunday night, and described that it broke the rule of subjudice, and had contemptuous comments, citing the comments made by former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas, former US ambassador John Malott, and Sarawak Report editor Claire Rewcastle Brown as being the major complaint.

“Malott’s comments claiming abuses and no check and balance — where Najib was the chairman of 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Bhd), also the finance minister and prime minister — were uncalled for.

“Tommy's description of Najib and [fugitive] Low Taek Jho’s (Jho Low) relationship, and description of who was the puppet master and who was the puppet in the scandal were also uncalled for,” Shafee said.

He, however, commended The Edge publisher Datuk Ho Kay Tat’s comments in the movie, which he described were made carefully and not reckless like the rest.

Following this, Shafee said he had asked deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Ahmad Akram Gharib to view the Netflix programme, and move the attorney general and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to bar the programme.

Ahmad Akram verified that he had yet to see the show, and would do the necessary.

Shafee said he had received instructions to file contempt against Tommy, and a defamation suit against Brown for their comments.

“Najib has already taken a defamation action against Tommy,” he added.

The senior lawyer also said that Brown’s statement on the show linking the murder of DPP Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais to his client had painted a picture that Najib is a “serial murderer”, after also linking the former Pekan Member of Parliament with the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Shafee added that they found about 160 contemptuous comments in the documentary, and had asked the prosecution’s help to take it down.

The one hour, 38 minutes show, which also featured Najib and other individuals, has been put up on subscription-based video-streaming service. The show debuted in several cinemas nationwide in October last year.

Shafee earlier also complained about the MACC IO’s testimony over the yacht meeting in 2009, claiming that Nur Aida was coming to her own conclusions, which she should not make as an IO.

“It is derogatory to announce [as in her testimony] that this was a government-to-government initiative. I would never use the vacation meeting to conclude the diplomatic venture. She has never interviewed Najib, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, their children or Prince Turki.”

Ahmad Akram explained that what Nur Aida was telling was the outcome of her investigation, and it was based on Prince Turki and Tarek Obaid’s letter to Najib.

The DPP said Nur Aida is the IO, and this was based on documents that came to her possession and were introduced by former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi.

Ahmad Akram proposed an amendment to that portion of Nur Aida’s statement.

However, presiding judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah agreed to expunge a huge part of the MACC IO's testimony over her feelings about the yacht meeting, and only take note of the meeting on the yacht in 2009.

At a press conference after the proceedings on Monday, Shafee said that his client appeared in the documentary because Najib "was misled" by the director that the documentary would only concern Jho Low.

"He was misled. [he was told that] the programme only had to do with Jho Low. What Najib said in the programme was 100% accurate," the lawyer said.

When asked if the former prime minister had watched the one-and-a-half-hour documentary, Shafee merely said: "He is in prison. How can he watch it?" 

The senior lawyer said that statements from the documentary cannot be allowed since the trial is still ongoing.

The documentary was already shown in local cinemas prior to its Netflix debut. However, Shafee is bringing it up now as it is now available on a wider platform.

The Edge is covering the trial live here.

Users of The Edge Markets app may tap here to access the live report.

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1MDB documentary Man on the Run makes Netflix premiere on Jan 5
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