PUTRAJAYA: From prison cell to PhD pursuit, Datuk Seri Najib Razak was cast by his lawyer as a former leader still thinking about Malaysia’s future.
The prosecutors, on the other hand, painted him as the face of “kleptocracy at its worst”.
In mitigating for a lighter sentence, lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the court that the former prime minister is currently pursuing a PhD programme in prison with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Shafee also spoke of Najib’s dedication in pursuing his thesis with a tentative title of “Economic Transformation of Malaysia”, saying he began the programme in 2023 and is expected to finish next year.
“In his mind, he is still thinking of the development of Malaysia. He’s writing as a means of communicating what is the best way for economic transformation in the country,” Shafee said.
He also addressed Najib’s pardon discount in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case.
He said Najib was originally sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and a RM210mil fine, but it was substantially reduced to six years and RM50mil.
According to Shafee, the sole ground for Najib’s pardon application was that he was not given a fair trial.
“The Yang di-Pertuan Agong took cognisance that Najib never received a fair trial.
“He never received a fair appeal in the SRC case,” Shafee said.
Meanwhile, the prosecution urged the High Court to impose the maximum 20 years’ jail term and a whopping RM11.4bil fine, which is five times the amount of gratification involved in the case.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib said the sentences must run consecutively after Najib completes his current jail term in Kajang Prison for the SRC case.
DPP Ahmad Akram, who took over as lead in the prosecution team after the passing of Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, said Najib’s offences were among “the worst imaginable cases” of financial crime in Malaysia.
“It is kleptocracy at its worst,” he added.
