KUALA LUMPUR: DAP, a member of the country’s ruling coalition, described the High Court’s 15 year prison sentence for former Prime Minister Najib Razak over 25 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) related charges as a clarion call for institutional reforms.
Party chairman Gobind Singh Deo said DAP remained firm in its fight against corruption and abuse of power since the scandal first emerged, despite the personal and political consequences faced by those who pursued accountability.
“The DAP remains firm in its fight against corruption and abuse of power. (It is also a) time for institutional reforms,” he said.
Gobind, who is also a veteran lawmaker and a lawyer by profession, said the 1MDB case has for a long period gripped the country and attracted global attention.
“The learned trial judge’s judgment, delivered after a lengthy seven-year trial, speaks for itself. The sentence imposed underscores the severity of the offence and sends a clear message that such crimes will not be treated lightly,” he said in a statement.
Gobind also said that the trial exposed deep systemic weaknesses which allowed abuses of power to persist, causing massive financial losses and eroding public trust.
“For many Malaysians, it symbolised the urgent need for institutional reform, accountability and the restoration of integrity in public administration,” he said.
On Friday, Najib was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison for abuse of power and money laundering, in his second major trial over the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal.
Najib was found guily on four charges of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering related to RM2.3 billion misappropriated from 1MDB.
The 1MDB scandal, which erupted a decade ago, captured global attention, implicating prominent figures from Malaysia to Goldman Sachs and Hollywood. Investigators estimated US$4.5 billion (RM18.2 billion) was siphoned from the state-owned fund.
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