Singapore — Is former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in the country at this moment to see his newest grandchild? He might be, but then again, with the border now open, he may already have gone home.
Pictures of Mr Najib and his family were posted on Instagram by his son and daughter yesterday. Like many other families, they have been separated for quite some time now. And it was the first time for Mr Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, to meet their newest grandchild.
And while the photos themselves were quite heartwarming, the reception from some netizens was rather chilly.
Photos of the family together were posted by Ms Nooryana as well as her brother, Mr Norashman Najib. He posted a picture on Instagram Stories on Monday (Nov 29) of him and the ex-Prime Minister walking in the airport, and then another one of himself holding his newborn nephew, captioned “Reunited with my beloved sister @yananajib.”
He also posted a photo of his father and mother with the newest member of the family, and then another of the former Prime Minister reading in bed with Ms Nooryana’s older son.
Ms Nooryana also posted a photo of the doting grandparents on Instagram, captioning it, “Because ❤️ conquers all.
#firstmeeting between baby Aidan Najib and Atok Bossku.”
As touching as the family reunion pictures were, many netizens were quick to remember that the former Malaysian PM has been charged with abuse of power, multiple counts of criminal breach of trust and money laundering, as well as tampering with the audit report of the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
“Have convict, will travel,” wrote one succinctly.
On 28 July 2020, he became the first Prime Minister of Malaysia to be convicted of corruption, as he was found guilty of seven counts of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust.
He was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and meted a fine of RM210 million (S$68 million), which he has appealed.
To backtrack, on Oct 15, Mdm Rosmah Mansor was granted permission by the Kuala Lumpur High Court to fly to Singapore.
She applied to have her passport temporarily released so that she can be with her second daughter, Ms Nooryana Najwa, whose due date was fast approaching.
Ms Nooryana, who lives in Singapore with her husband, Mr Daniyar Kessikbayev, a Kazakh national, “has a history of complications during delivery”, Mdm Rosmah wrote in her application.
Ms Nooryana gave birth to her second son on Nov 1.
Mdm Rosmah, who faces 17 charges of money laundering involving millions of dollars, as well as bribery and corruption charges, was allowed to leave Malaysia but was required to return her passport to the court on or before Dec 6.
On Oct 18, Mr Najib was also allowed the temporary return of his passport, so that he could also visit their daughter, provided he returns it by Dec 12. /TISG
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