LETTER | If there's no prosecution, there's nothing for judiciary to decide

LETTER | Malaysians, in general, lauded the recent Federal Court decision to uphold former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s conviction.

Many praised the independence and steadfastness of our judiciary in carrying out this difficult task.

Be that as it may, I think we have to look beyond the judiciary. We have to look at institutions involved in enforcement, investigation and prosecution. My view is that if nothing is brought before the court, there will be nothing for the court to decide.

There were numerous investigations on 1MDB before the 14th general election (GE14), but none resulted in any prosecution. In fact, the Attorney-General’s Chambers then was seen as quick in exonerating those being investigated.

If I may, the real watershed event was the result of GE14 when Pakatan Harapan came into power. It was during Harapan’s reign that Najib and the current Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were charged in court. It is telling to note that after the collapse of the Harapan government, it was Lim Guan Eng’s and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s turn to be charged for corruption.

For me, the message is quite clear – investigation and prosecution are the key. Those in power may not interfere with the judiciary but do they still have an enormous influence on who to be investigated and prosecuted?

Now the Littoral Combat Ship scandal is brewing. We shall see how many big sharks are investigated and prosecuted by the present government. If there is no investigation or prosecution, there will be nothing for the judiciary to decide.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.