‘No special treatment’

PUTRAJAYA: There is no special treatment accorded to Datuk Seri Najib Razak during his medical treatment, says Khairy Jamaluddin.

The Health Minister said the treatment given to the convicted former prime minister was based on the ministry’s standard procedures for prisoners requiring medical attention.

“There is no special treatment. There was a request by the deputy public prosecutor for his (Najib’s) trial proceedings to be adjourned so that he could receive the required medical attention.

“He was referred to Hospital Kuala Lumpur where he was treated for his medical condition and he went through a battery of tests.

“Now, he is undergoing a follow-up at the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital (CRH). A part of the procedure is that he will be trained on how to conduct physiotherapy himself.

“He will be discharged once the specialists are satisfied that he no longer needs to be admitted.

“This is a standard procedure. In the past, we have treated prisoners at government hospitals and they are sent back to prison once doctors are satisfied that they can be discharged,” said Khairy at a media interview here yesterday.

The specialists, he said, would be conducting a conference with Najib’s family members to brief them on his treatment’s progress.

Asked when Najib would be discharged, Khairy said the decision was for the specialists to make but expected it to be “soon”.

“I cannot answer when because that will be me interfering with the process. It will be up to the specialists,” he stressed.

An anonymous message on social media referring to Najib by the codename “Merpati” (pigeon) had made several claims, including that his cell in the Kajang Prison complex had been renovated and that there were plans to move him to CRH to allow more access to visitors and VVIP facilities.

In a statement, the Prisons Department said Najib had been referred to CRH for further treatment and monitoring by Hospital Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

It also said that it had acted on a Sept 12 order by the Kuala Lumpur High Court that the former premier needed a medical examination after it was informed that he was ill.

“In accordance with Section 37 of the Prisons Act and its provisions as well as the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Mandela Rules), the Prisons Department sent Najib to HKL for treatment by specialists there,” it said.

Najib is serving a 12-year sentence following the Federal Court’s decision on Aug 23 to uphold his corruption conviction involving RM42mil of SRC International funds.

Also upheld was a RM210mil fine against him.

He is facing four other criminal trials related to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

However, his ongoing trial has been vacated for a week due to his medical condition.

His lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, told Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah at KL High Court on Sept 14 that Najib had gone through various medical tests on a daily basis due to blood pressure and stomach ulcers.

The trial will resume on Monday.