COMMENT BY YB PROF DR P.RAMASAMY, DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER II, PENANG
Allegations against Nazlan must be seen in the context of surreptitious attempts to free Najib
I don’t think the Court of Appeal judge Nazlan Mohd Ghazali is a special person who requires immunity from prosecution.
He is no different than you and me.
If he has indulged in criminal activities, the law applies to him as well as others, despite the fact that he is a well-known judge. A judge who convicted the former prime minister Najib Tun Razak in the SRC trial.
It is not about Nazlan per se but it is about the attacks against the judiciary, sparked by a Facebook posting by fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamurudin.
In his posting, Raja Petra alleged that Nazlan had unexplained wealth in his bank account. Nazlan in turn had made a police report on the allegations leading to the investigation by the MACC.
It is not that the MACC cannot investigate public officials, it has all the right to do so provided, of course, the anti-graft agency has proved itself as powerful watchdog of public interests.
If the MACC’s chief commissioner Azam Baki has not been satisfactorily cleared for dabbling in the share market, then the question arises as to the legitimacy of the MACC in investigating the alleged wrong doings of Nazlan.
If the mercenary fugitive blogger has so much clout in ordering things in the country, I really wonder about the sanctity of information obtained from his dubious sources.
I wonder about the “deal” with the blogger who has no basic guts to stay in the country to fight a worthy cause, but runs away to seek the shelter of the former colonial power.
From his hideout in UK, he spews venom and lies about about those he has been “commissioned” to discredit. What is the difference between Raja Petra and the other infamous fugitive in the country?
Why are we paying some much attention to this fugitive in UK apart from the fact that he has links with some disgraced public officials in the country.
The Malaysian Bar Council is jealousy guarding the sanctity of the judiciary. Anything is wrong with this?
Whether or not Nazlan engaged in criminal activities or not remains to be seen. Let the MACC investigate. But unfortunately, an efficient and bold judge has been targeted for prosecution.
It is just that his decision on the Najib was not the liking of some powerful figures in the country. Is it because of the unexplained amount of money in the account of Nazlan or because he was the judge who presided over the corruption trail of Najib resulting in the latter’s conviction?
Najib lost his appeal in the appeals court and the matter has been escalated to the federal court for an ultimate decision. It is not certain when the decision will made, but one thing is for sure, there is an attempt to discredit the judge hoping that such an attempt if succeeds, could influence the federal court’s judgement.
It is well-orchestrated design by those in the Najib’s camp to discredit Nazlan before the federal court decides. It is not about whether Nazlan has a case to answer, but whether the on-going MACC investigation will be able to cast sufficient doubts about the integrity and honesty of Nazlan.
If this done, then there is good chance that Najib’s lawyers will be able to mount an effective appeal on the grounds that Nazlan was a “crooked” judge. With the investigation by the MACC, whether Nazlan is convicted or not, is not important for those who bent on freeing Najib at the federal court level.
This investigation by the MACC based on the allegations of the fugitive blogger is about creating doubts about the earlier decision of Nazlan. Once Nazlan has been sufficiently discredited, there is wishful thinking on the part of the Najib’s camp, the federal court decision will be in favour of “Bossku”.
It is not that the judiciary in the country has an excellent reputation, but whatever it had was ruined by the politicians.
The judiciary is making comeback to reclaim its lost ground.
Whatever, its faults in the past, it still remains an institution of justice and freedom even though is a political decay in the country.
The allegations against Nazlan must be seen the backdrop of clandestine and surreptitious moves by some quarters to prevent Najib from going to jail for his involvement in colossal corruption and shameless misdeeds.
