A defector from the opposition – who defected from the ruling Umno to rejoin the party on the fringe of the reformasi movement – has filed a lawsuit against Prime Minister Najib Razak and 1MDB.
But the lawsuit might not see its day in court, The Independent was told.
Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor, a former senator under the Najib regime, who has now joined the opposition cohorts against the PM by forming his own party, filed the lawsuit urging 1MDB to return at least US $ 3,657 billion (RM16.14 billion) to fund the country’s wealth.
Ezam claimed that 1MDB borrowed money disappeared because individuals failed in their fiduciary duties, including directors who held office from 2009 until last year.
They were all named as defendants because they took away money and do not take steps to recover the money lost.
He said the government also does not want to take legal action because the finance minister is also the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
No day in court
However, a lawyer told The Independent the lawsuit will not see its day in court, as it is without basis and Ezam does not have sufficient proof of the claims he is making.
“This is just to hit the government on various flanks and keep the 1MDB fire burning,” he said.
An observer told The Independent that it is public knowledge that 1MDB is a massive scandal but since the case is closed by the Attorney General and there is no pursuit against those who dealt with the money lost by the entity, the opposition is not letting up on the issue.
“Thus the case is to remind the public that there are people who are culprits. It is to embarass the regime more than to really recover the money which is partly seized in offshore transactions,” he said.