Najib should have been given more time to prepare for appeal, says Sabah Umno Youth

KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Court should have granted Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s application to adjourn his final appeal for three to four months so that his defence team could adduce fresh evidence in the case, says an Umno youth leader.

Sabah Umno Youth chief Abdul Aziz Julkarnain said that without disrespecting the court’s decision, the former prime minister should have been allowed adjournment.

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“But the decision has been made and as a party member, of course, I am saddened,” he said when contacted on Wednesday (Aug 24).

“But I would like to call on all party members to stay calm because there is still an avenue to ensure justice is served such as the review application of the court’s decision,” he said.

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Asked what was the feeling within Sabah Umno, Abdul Aziz said they generally felt the same way and were staying composed about the whole matter.

“We are not like others who like to create chaos. Barisan Nasional is different, we are matured in such a situation,” he said.

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Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who served in Najib's Cabinet expressed his sadness after the Federal Court upheld the latter’s conviction in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case.

In a Facebook post, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan called on the former prime minister and his family to be strong in facing the tribulation.

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“There are no words to describe my sadness. We can only surrender everything to Allah,” said the Umno supreme council member, in a brief Facebook message.

Rahman, who is Tuaran Umno division chief, served as the urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister in Najib’s administration after the 2013 general election.

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Later in 2016, he was appointed as a minister in the prime minister’s department in charge of the Economic Planning Unit, becoming the first Sabahan to hold the position.

On Tuesday (Aug 23), the Federal Court upheld Najib’s conviction for misappropriating SRC International funds amounting to RM42mil.

Meanwhile, DAP’s Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin said the former premier’s conviction was “a milestone in our country's democracy and upholding of the separation of powers in different branches of government”.

“Basically the maxim ‘all are equal before the law’ has finally become a reality and it is no longer ‘antara dua darjat’ (between two classes).

“Anyone who wants to be a leader of the country in the future should not forget that the checks and balances brought by separation of powers will one day work against them if they choose to be corrupt,” he said, in a statement.