Mahathir's test in Najib's trial: Prove it's not a political coup

It remains to be seen whether the Prime Minister has the political will to continue the reforms.

Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, said that he was not seeking revenge. (Reuters pic)

Malaysia sent a strong message to its shop stewards when it accused Najib Razak, his first former prime minister, of being charged, with several counts of indictment. of breach of trust and corruption

. The country's pursuit of less well-known figures as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad strives to prove that his return to power, after overthrowing Najib last May, is also a return to the rule of law. Najib has always denied any wrongdoing and pleaded Wednesday not guilty to all charges.

The 92-year-old man said that he was not seeking revenge, even though he named those who were fired under the Najib administration. the management of the 1MDB scandal. This includes former Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail, who now heads the task force that is investigating the troubled state fund

"Continuing the criminal charges against Najib is a fruit at hand "said Hugo Brennan, Verisk analyst Maplecroft in Singapore. "It is less clear that Mahathir has the political will to pursue radical reform."

The survey relaunched on troubled state fund 1MDB also revealed other cases of potential corruption that Daim Zainuddin, a Mahathir advisor, called "Najib's case in him" – even is significant for its symbolism, "said Yang Razali Kassim, senior researcher at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore." This is the beginning of what could be an endless struggle between the new ruling regime led by Mahathir Mohamad and the old regime that he overthrew on May 9, which Najib came to represent. "

" Motivated politically

Najib, 64, described the renewed investigation into the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal as a "politically motivated" movement. His supporters drew parallels between his fate and that of Anwar Ibrahim, de facto director of the coa The ruling party, which had quarreled with Mahathir in the 1990s, was later sacked and jailed for sodomy and abuse of power. In response, Anwar called on the public to follow the investigation and decide if the comparison is right.

Najib's lawyers plan to disqualify Attorney General Tommy Thomas, who was appointed by Mahathir in June, saying that Tommy had

The charges against Najib involve RM 42 million that he allegedly diverted from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB, and a fraction of the $ 4.5 billion of funds that Mahathir seeks to recover. . Najib, who said last April that he was convinced that there was no movement for a change of government, faces three counts of abuse. of confidence and corruption, which can go up to 20 years in prison and a fine

The court will meet on August 8 to decide the date of the trial, which should take place at the earliest in February of the year. Next year.

& # 39; Fall from grace & # 39;

"This is one," said Khor Yu Leng, an independent economist at Segi Enam Pte Advisors Ltd., who has published articles on Malaysia's political economy. "The society has been empowered and this could have outreach effects outside the country to inspire others who feel oppressed by the plutocratic status quo. As remarkable, it takes an older elite to charge the newest one that has come off the line. "

A key step in the administration Mahathir has taken is to place the institutions – including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission directly under the Parliament – instead of the Prime Minister's Department as it was before. The move allows them to be truly independent by reporting directly to lawmakers, said the Coalition for a Clean and Fair Election, a civil rights group, which proposed that laws be amended to reflect the changes.

Mahathir's government searched for many other names related to 1MDB MACC convened Low Taek Jho financier, former 1MDB Tang Keng Chee officials, Geh Choh Heng, Loo Ai Swan and Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, and were preparing warrants for former Chief Shahrol Halmi and the former Goldman Sachs Group banker Roger Ng. A day before the arrest of Najib, his son-in-law and producer "The Wolf of Wall St reet "Riza Aziz arrived at the MACC for an audience.

Police raids focused on Najib-related sites, including his family's residences. Authorities seized cash and valuables worth about RM1.1 billion as part of their investigation of SRC International and interviewed around 30 people.

Najib calmly spoke to reporters after being accused of "better luck" first name. A few hours after his arrest on Tuesday, he apologized to the nation in a video posted on his Twitter account and said that all the charges against him were not true.

"This is a very powerful precedent," said Clive Kessler. , a professor of sociology at the University of New South Wales who has studied Malaysian politics for nearly 60 years. "The case will become a semi-permanent feature of the legal and judicial scene in Malaysia."