As Malaysia’s Ahmad Zahid walks free, will 1MDB-plagued Najib Razak be next?

Speculation is rife that Zahid’s reprieve was a gauge of public feeling over a potential release of Najib who is currently serving a 12-year jail term

There are also signs of discontent in Anwar’s PH party as he tries to woo the Malay community – Najib’s allies – that mostly had gone for the opposition

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Supporters of former prime minister Najib Razak outside Malaysia’s Court of Appeal and Federal Court ahead of his hearing on January 19. Najib was jailed for 12 years in August last year over multiple corruption convictions in relation to the 1MDB corruption scandal. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 9:30am, 8 Sep 2023

The dismissal of corruption charges against Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has triggered fears leniency may soon be heading the way of former premier Najib Razak, jailed for 12 years over his part in the 1MDB scandal, as Anwar Ibrahim seeks to appease the new allies who propelled him to government.

Anwar became prime minister in November last year at the helm of a “unity government” to end years of political instability after an unexpected alliance with Barisan Nasional (BN), the bloc formerly led by Najib who was premier from 2009 to 2018.

Najib was jailed for 12 years in August last year over multiple corruption convictions in relation to the 1MDB corruption scandal. To date, Malaysia has had to pay 43.8 billion ringgit (US$9.4 billion) to settle the debt he incurred.

He has served one year so far. Yet he maintains his innocence, claiming he was the victim of politically motivated prosecution, a sentiment amplified at every opportunity by his party Umno and its president: Zahid.

Forty-seven charges linked to embezzlement against Zahid were suddenly dropped on Monday.

Speculation is now rife that reprieve was aimed to gauge public feeling towards the potential release of Najib.

The government needs to reassure the public it was not “testing the waters” with the dismissal of Zahid’s case, said the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, a group representing the ethnic Chinese community – who largely continue to support of Anwar’s multicultural Pakatan Harapan – around the national capital.