Former PM Najib Razak threatens legal action over 1MDB documentary

Former prime minister Najib Razak has reportedly threatened legal action against former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas and Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown over statements they made in the Netflix documentary Man on The Run. 

Najib is also looking to get Netflix to remove the documentary for its sub judicial and contemptuous content.

According to media reports, Najib's lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah made a complaint about the show at the High Court at the start of Najib's RM2.28 billion 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial yesterday. 

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Shafee reportedly claimed that he was instructed by his client to file contempt proceedings against Thomas and Rewcastle-Brown over their statements, and that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Home Ministry have the authority to take it off the air. 

Man on The Run is a 98-minute documentary film currently airing on Netflix. It revolves around the ongoing 1MDB global financial scandal and the involvement of the former sixth prime minister and fugitive businessman, Jho Low.

The film was theatrically released in Singapore on 5 October 2023 and in Malaysia on 19 October 2023, before premiering on Netflix on 5 January. It featured interviews with politicians and personalities such as Thomas, prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, former Damansara MP Tony Pua and whistleblower Xavier Andre Justo among others. 

Najib was also interviewed for the documentary. This was prior his incarceration as the former prime minister is currently serving a 12-year sentence.  

Shafee reportedly told media in a press conference that whatever Najib said in the programme was 100% true, but described Anwar's statements as unpleasant, explaining that there is no proof and that the case is still on going. 

The lawyer also shared that Najib does not have the privilege to watch the documentary as he is in prison, according to media reports.

During the trial, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer Senior Superintendent Nur Aida Arifin testified that Najib did not highlight two 1MDB subsidiaries’ taking on of debts via the issuance of bonds totalling US$3.5 billion in 2012 to the Cabinet, according to media reports.

Nur Aida reportedly found transactions to Najib's AmPrivate Banking Account amounting to US$30 million. According to Nur Aida, a fake British Virgin Islands company known as Aabar Investment PJS Limited had received US$576.9 million from 1MEL’s US$1.75 billion bond in May 2012, and US$790.3 million from 1MELL’s US$1.75 billion bond in October 2012. 

The proceedings were reportedly adjourned and the hearing will continue on 24 January. 

Separately, the MACC is also currently investigating the 2022 'Keluarga Malaysia' campaign for alleged corruption links to former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. As a result of the investigation, contracts awarded for the campaign's promotional materials, such as billboards, have been under scrutiny.

MACC investigation officer and sixth chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed earlier this week that he would summon a former prime minister "very soon" for questioning.  

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