Najib Ruling A Bitter Blow To Macc Says Ex Chief Latheefa

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Former MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya said anti-corruption officers are bound to silence but she knows how they feel about the commutation of Najib Razak’s sentence.PETALING JAYA: The decision to commute Najib Razak’s prison sentence and reduce his fine to RM50 million is discouraging to the officers in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, says a former chief commissioner.
Latheefa Koya, who was MACC chief from June 2019 to March 2020, said the anti-corruption officers are civil servants and therefore cannot express how they feel about the shortened sentence.
“How do the MACC officers, who risked their jobs and livelihood to investigate 1MDB during the Najib era, feel about the reduced sentence? Make no mistake, it is a bitter blow to those officers and to MACC as a whole.
“I know the officers, I know what they are feeling right now,” she said in a social media posting.
Latheefa, a former PKR member, also said MACC is still working on recovering funds belonging to 1MDB from other countries.
She said she was involved in this effort previously and understands the challenges involved. “Those other countries are carefully watching – will they cooperate now?” she said.
On Friday, the Federal Territories Pardons Board announced its decision to halve Najib’s prison sentence in the SRC International case from 12 to six years. His fine was also reduced from RM210 million to RM50 million.
The board said the former prime minister will be released on Aug 23, 2028, or a year later if he fails to pay the fine.
The decision has been met with criticism from certain quarters, including government backbencher Ramkarpal Singh and civil society, though unity government leaders have urged all parties to respect the board’s decision.
During her tenure leading MACC, Latheefa famously disclosed nine audio recordings purportedly linked to the SRC International and 1MDB cases. The recordings allegedly featured Najib, his wife Rosmah Mansor, former deputy public prosecutor Dzulkifli Ahmad and other well-known people. - FMT

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