PETALING JAYA: Allowing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his SRC International sentence under house arrest could have serious implications for Malaysia’s anti-corruption credibility, says Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M).
Its president, Dr Raymon Ram, said that while the organisation respected the constitutional power of clemency under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution, Najib’s conviction involving RM42mil had been unanimously upheld by the Federal Court.
“The concern goes beyond one individual.
“Exceptional treatment of a person convicted in a major corruption case risks reinforcing the perception that those with political influence or status may face different consequences from ordinary offenders,” he said in a statement on Friday (Sept 18).
He said such a move could also create expectations for similar treatment in future cases involving grand corruption and financial crime, potentially weakening the deterrent effect of Malaysia’s anti-corruption framework.
He noted that the case also had implications for Malaysia’s international standing on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) global ranking.
“While no single decision determines Malaysia’s CPI score, the CPI draws on assessments by experts and businesspeople of public-sector corruption and the effectiveness of institutions in addressing it.
“High-profile decisions involving accountability for corruption inevitably contribute to the wider environment in which those perceptions are formed,” he explained.
Ram added that Malaysia should strengthen confidence in the integrity of its institutions rather than create uncertainty over whether accountability was applied consistently.
“Malaysia’s anti-corruption credibility will ultimately be judged by whether the principles of accountability, proportionality and equality before the law remain equally strong when those involved are powerful,” he said.
He added that the country had invested significant effort in strengthening governance and rebuilding institutional confidence, and that progress should not be undermined by perceptions of preferential treatment in cases that had come to symbolise Malaysia’s fight against grand corruption.
