Najib makes MACC’s online list of corruption offenders after SRC conviction

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak is now listed on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) online database of corruption offenders convicted locally, after the High Court’s guilty verdict with regards to the misappropriation of RM42 million from former 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd.

At the time of writing, there are 632 corruption offenders listed on the MACC website, including those who are currently appealing their conviction, such as Najib.

Najib’s name is currently at the top of the first page of the MACC Corruption Offenders Database.

In the database, former prime minister Najib’s category is listed as a “government employee”.

He is also listed as having no previous convictions and “pending appeal” to indicate that his case is being appealed.

It is unclear when his name was added on to the database, as only the date of his conviction and sentencing in the High Court in Kuala Lumpur is listed, but not the date of when the information was uploaded.

According to the MACC website, the Corruption Offenders Database is aimed at deterring the public from committing corruption as the data of those convicted for corruption offences will be made public for three years from the date it is published at the database.

The MACC website also said the online database serves as a tool to assist the public and organisations in carrying out due diligence process before hiring, appointing and promoting employees.

Since January 2020 until the time of writing, 10 corruption offenders have been convicted, comprising four government employees, one private sector employee, four members of the public, and one in the statutory body category, according to the MACC website.

On July 28, the High Court convicted Najib over all the seven charges — covering the offences of criminal breach of trust, power abuse, money laundering — in relation to SRC International’s RM42 million.

The court had sentenced Najib to a 12-year jail term and a fine of RM210 million with an additional five years if the fine is not paid for the power abuse charge, as well as jail terms of 10 years each for each of the six other charges.

But as the High Court said that the prison terms are to be served concurrently, Najib would only have to serve a maximum of 12 years instead.

Najib has, however, been granted a stay of execution of his sentence pending the appeal, and had paid an additional RM1 million bail on July 29 as part of the stay conditions and had on July 30 filed his appeal against his conviction and sentence at the Court of Appeal.

The prosecution has also filed an appeal to seek for the court to impose heavier penalties on Najib.

Najib’s appeal and the prosecution’s appeal have yet to get a hearing date, with both matters expected to come up for case management in the Court of Appeal on October 15.