Fight against corruption must not be selective

One of the main agendas of the Madani government is to eradicate endemic corruption in Malaysia. Thus far, several high-profile cases have been brought before the courts, but this quest is far from over.

The most significant corruption case remains the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal involving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. This financial debacle compromised the country’s economic and financial integrity, saddling Malaysia with billions of ringgit in debt.

Najib was convicted of graft, abuse of power and misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd. In August 2022, he was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and fined RM210 million.

However, in February 2024, his sentence was halved by the Pardons Board. He is now due for release on Aug 23, 2028 instead of 2034, and his fine was reduced to RM50 million.

Last Friday (Dec 26), the Kuala Lumpur High Court found him guilty on all four counts of abuse of power and all 21 money laundering charges linked to the 1MDB scandal.

Generally, high-profile cases tend to have a low rate of swift resolution, often dragging on for years through a labyrinthine judicial process. Those involved usually have the financial resources to engage expensive legal teams, and delaying tactics are not uncommon.

By contrast, corruption cases involving low-level civil servants or petty offences are often disposed of quickly, frequently resulting in successful convictions.

There have also been instances where individuals in high-profile cases avoided conviction by returning part of their ill-gotten gains to the government.

The case involving former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, however, remains both perplexing and troubling.

Authorities reportedly discovered cash amounting to RM170 million and gold bars worth RM7 million at premises linked to Ismail Sabri. Despite investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the source of this vast sum could not be identified.

It was claimed that the money did not belong to Ismail Sabri, as he did not assert ownership when it was confiscated. Yet, it is implausible that such a sum could have been accumulated solely from pensions and salaries earned as a politician and former prime minister.

Money does not materialise out of nowhere. It must belong to someone. Yet the MACC was unable to link the funds to Ismail Sabri, despite them allegedly being found on premises associated with him. One could speculate that others had access to the location and placed the money there without his knowledge.

Whoever owns the money appears intent on keeping its origins concealed, possibly to evade taxation or scrutiny. Alternatively, it may have been acquired through illicit means, necessitating concealment prior to laundering.

What is most mind-boggling is that the MACC, with its experience in uncovering corruption and money-laundering activities, was unable to trace the ownership of RM170 million. As a result, no individual has been charged.

The government, however, confiscated the funds and is now richer by RM160 million. In this instance, justice appears blinded.

The axiom that justice is blind – grounded in the principle that all individuals, regardless of social, economic or political standing, are equal before the law – becomes rhetorical when justice is obscured by power and political expediency.

Malaysia’s political landscape offers numerous examples of unresolved high-profile cases involving politicians and ministers.

Justice, in such circumstances, becomes malleable, shaped by political connections, social status and economic considerations. Some individuals appear more equal under the law, while a privileged few remain above it.

It is invariably the ordinary citizen who bears the full weight of legal consequences.

The notion that justice is non-discriminatory and impartial remains a utopian ideal, one that is not always realised in practice – not only in Malaysia, but in many countries around the world.

The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer and do not necessarily represent that of Twentytwo13.