On the 23rd of August, the ex-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak became the first ever former prime minister to be sent to jail. The Federal Court upheld Najib’s conviction and was sentenced accordingly in the SRC International case after his final appeal was dismissed.
Earlier that morning, Najib was seen leaving his condo (Pavilion Residences @ Bukit Bintang) in one of the black vehicles that are considered luxurious (a black Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Volvo XC90, Bentley Flying Spur and a silver Proton X70).
This is all done with the assistance from the PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police) as there were three police escort vehicles (a Proton X70 and two police motorbikes).
Check out the footage uploaded by Malaysia Gazette on Twitter below:
Bekas Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak baru sahaja meninggalkan kediamannya di Pavilion pada jam 9 pagi bagi menghadiri prosiding di Mahkamah Persekutuan, Putrajaya#malaysiagazette #SRC pic.twitter.com/DD2Si3fd3n
— Malaysia Gazette (@MalaysiaGazette) August 23, 2022
This obviously got Malaysian-netizens fired up, stating that Najib is given special treatment despite being convicted in the corruption case.
However, a deeper search into this matter actually shows that this “special treatment” occured before the FC convicted Najib.
This morning, the jailed ex-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak arrived in the KL High Court for the 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) audit tampering trial in a black SUV (Toyota Fortuner) with tinted windows.
Pinda Audit 1MDB: Najib Dibawa Ke Mahkamah#malaysiagazette pic.twitter.com/fk3ieQqaUL
— Malaysia Gazette (@MalaysiaGazette) August 26, 2022
Did the netizens’ comments get to Najib and the PDRM?
So now you must be wondering if Najib was given special treatment?
According to senior lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla, the Prison Department has the liberty to choose the convicted person’s attire and the mode of transportation. Inmates from prison are allowed to be in plainclothes when they arrive at the court.
“Now Najib has always been coming to court in a coat and tie so it is not fair to expect him to come in pjyamas,” said the lawyer.
He added that Najib will need to change into prison attire once he is back behind bars.
As for the mode of transportation, it’s the same – it is also up to the prison authorities to decide what is the best and safest mode for the prisoner.
Senior lawyer Haniff stated that this isn’t a VVIP treatment or a special treatment as it is vital to understand the Prison Department is responsible for the safety of the inmates and the situation in the prison.
“They will not be putting him in a normal cell shared with four other inmates. We won’t be able to ensure his safety. What if something happens to him? The prison authorities will have to answer.” – he added.
He also said that prime ministers do get a lot of attention and there are bound to be people who hate them.
On the other hand, another lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan stated that it was disturbing that Najib was brought to the court in a luxury SUV instead of the usual prison van or lorry.
He said, “the rules governing prisoners must be applied uniformly and fairly for all prisoners, without any consideration of their rank or status.”
Since Najib is now serving his 12-year jail term, the question is why wasn’t Najib in handcuffs this morning when he attended the 1MDB audit tampering trial? According to senior criminal lawyer Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, Najib has to follow prison protocol and that means he has to be handcuffed when he leaves the prison.
Let that sink in for a minute then come back to the earlier question, was Najib given special treatment? – the answer lies with the Latin term, “res ipsa loquitur”.
Keyword: Lawyer explains why Najib is still travelling in a Volvo XC90, Toyota Fortuner, but not a prison van