Kuala Lumpur – On Tuesday (June 22) Tun Mahathir writing on his blog “Che Det” criticised the acquittal of Reza Aziz who is the step-son of Najib Tun Razak. The following is the full text of his comments as reported on his blog:
1. Najib says the decision with regard to the charge of money laundering against Reza Aziz is proper because money laundering is not a crime (here). Therefore, the settlement is not a “plea bargain”.
2. If it is not a crime then what is his discharge not amounting to an acquittal about – acquittal for what if money laundering is not a crime? Incidentally the same law includes Anti-terrorism Financing Act – which of course is not a crime. Call it by any name but the settlement is unique. A thief steals money and when arrested is charged with stealing or abusing power or retaining illegally acquired money and asked to give back some of the money. He then will be discharged though not acquitted.
3. Not being acquitted means he is still guilty as charged. That’s okay. All he has to do is to give back less than half of the money he has stolen. This means he will enjoy more than half of the money he had stolen and be a free man.
4. What do you call this generosity if it is not plea bargain? As Dato Seri Anwar said, in Malaysia you can steal ten chickens but if you give back one chicken then you are free to enjoy the nine others.
5. This is great for thieves. Maybe it is also great for certain lawyers. But we have to keep a close watch of our pockets and safes. And foreign tourists too should be careful. This is the new normal in Malaysia.
Today (June 23) Mahathir continued with his tirade against Najib Tun Razak. He posted another article on his blog wherein he reiterated that his children were not awarded any government contracts. He also asked : “why the movie ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ had not been screened in Malaysia. Is it true that it is a pornographic film?”
The full text of his comments are as follows:
1. Najib seems upset about my “veiled suggestion that the discharge secured by filmmaker Riza Aziz was wrong”.
2. I still maintain that it was a sweetheart deal where you steal US$248 million from 1MDB money and you give back US$107.3 million and keep over US$140 million to enjoy.
3. The fact is that you stole from 1MDB US$248 million and the whole amount should be returned. What you pay to somebody else is irrelevant.
4. It is like stealing 10 chickens. You should give back all the 10. If you had had a feast of 9 chickens or you sold them to someone, it does not matter. The 10 chickens must be returned to the owner. Giving 1 back will still mean that the chicken owner has lost 9 chickens stolen by the thief.
5. You say my (PM 7) children were given Government contracts.
6. I did not even allow my children to do business in Malaysia, much less get Government contracts. They were not even given Government scholarships except Mirzan who got it before I became a member of Parliament in 1964. And Mirzan had to pay back 25%.
7. Only after I stepped down were they doing business in Malaysia – even then not with the Government. Certainly no Government contracts.
8. Please give documentary evidence of the contracts given to my children, just as documentary evidence proved that you as MO1 had taken money from 1MDB.
9. Please explain the sweetheart deals involving PM 7 cronies. Did Riza Aziz buy or did my children buy. And who are the cronies?
10. Incidentally, please explain why the great movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” had not been screened in Malaysia. Is it true that it is a pornographic film?
