No calls to interfere in Najib’s final appeal, says PM

PETALING JAYA: Despite reports of Umno divisions demanding that the Prime Minister interfere in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s final SRC appeal, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said there were no such calls.

“None,” he said when asked by reporters about the demands after he had attended the Budget 2023 Public Consultation yesterday.

Ismail Sabri, an Umno vice-president, said a special Umno meeting on Monday had actually been about strengthening the party.

“It was about Umno, our preparations for the general election and more towards strengthening the party,” he said.

He added that he was also unsure about a report that Umno division leaders had called for the 15th General Election (GE15) to be held quickly.

“I do not know. I was not there yesterday (Monday),” he said.

Yesterday, it was reported that prominent Umno leaders had gathered at the party’s headquarters for a special closed-door meeting.

It was also reported that several top Umno leaders held discussions with the Prime Minister at his official residence in Seri Perdana on Monday night, in what is believed to be about the special meeting held earlier.

Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan also denied that Umno had asked the Prime Minister to interfere in the case.

“If there is such talk, these people do not represent the party. Any formal statement from the party will be issued by the secretary-general,” he told reporters after meeting with Perak Umno’s political bureau in Ipoh.

The Barisan Nasional deputy chairman had said recently that he was disappointed that Najib was not getting the required space to defend himself, and hoped the former prime minister would be given a fair trial.

“I am not – and neither is Umno – questioning the credibility of the judiciary and the courts, but I am merely saying that a fair trial is necessary for any accused without looking at the status,” he added.

Mohamad stressed that the party never urged any form of interference from anyone.

“People used to say that if the Prime Minister is from Umno then there would be interference in the case, but even Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s trial is ongoing,” he added.