OUR Malaysian chief prosecutor has great difficulty to convince our High court and Supreme Courts to put former Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife in jail for corruptions.
In fact, he has requested a “privilege” from the Government in the form of a 2.8-acre residential property worth RM100 mil in one of Kuala Lumpur’s most exclusive neighbourhoods.
It is understood that the former PM made the request about a year after his fall from power in the 2018 election – and again last year – just months before he was found guilty of corruption charges related to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.
Najib had made such a request to the PM’s Department by invoking a little-known act which gives special privileges and allowances to former premiers, including the ownership of properties and land belonging to the Government.
Death penalty
I hope all Malaysians especially politicians will read this article.
Meanwhile, Indonesian prosecutors made history on Monday (Dec 6) by recommending a death sentence for a key defendant in a major corruption case at military insurer, Asabri.
Businessman Heru Hidayat (main pic) is accused of misguiding the state-run insurer to bad investments for his personal gains and of laundering the ill-gotten money by re-investing in other assets.
Prosecutors told the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court that Heru alone has inflicted a loss of 12.6 tril rupiah (RM3.73 bil) to Asabri.
Asabri collects premiums by deducting 8% of the salary of soldiers, policemen and civilian staffers at the Defense Ministry.
While the amended 1999 anti-corruption law carries capital punishment, such a demand has never been presented in the court before due to the vaguely prescribed pre-requisites.
Article 2 of the law stipulates that graft conviction can be punishable by death if the crime is committed when the country is under an emergency situation due to natural disaster or economic crisis, and/or it is a repeat crime.
Prosecutors argued that Heru is a repeat offender, saying that he was earlier found guilty in a separate corruption case related to another state-owned insurance company, Jiwasraya.
“The crime committed by the defendant classifies as an extra-ordinary crime that may put the national integrity in jeopardy … the defendant was already sentenced to life in the Jiwasraya corruption case that costs the state 16.8 tril rupiah (RM4.93 bil) in financial losses,” according to the prosecution demand read in turn by prosecutors.
The Jiwasraya case already saw the country’s toughest anti-corruption trial in which six defendants were sentenced to life in prison last October. It was for the first time in Indonesian history that multiple defendants were sentenced to life in the same corruption case.
Above all else, Heru, the chief commissioner of shipping company Trada Alam Minera, is also accused of enriching his company using the money he illegally obtained from Asabri.
In their attempts to recover state losses, prosecutors have seized the company’s assets such as its 51% share in subsidiary Hanochem Shipping and an LNG tanker.
According to prosecutors’ documents, they only managed to collect Rp 2.4 trillion (RM704.54 mil) from the defendant’s assets. – Dec 10, 2021
Editor’s Note: Countries like China and North Korea are known to have executed public officials found guilty of corruption and other related crimes like bribery.
Koon Yew Yin is a savvy investor and philanthropist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Pic credit: Kompas.com
