COMMENT | The moral courage of four judges

COMMENT | I remember what it was like when I first heard justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali’s High Court judgment that Najib Abdul Razak was found guilty in the SRC International trial.

The former prime minister was sentenced to 12 years in jail, RM210 million in fines, with the full judgment detailed in 800 pages. It was July 28, 2020, slightly more than two years since the day we removed the longest-ruling coalition from power, but also five months after the Sheraton Move, which almost erased everything we gained.

Mohd Nazlan’s judgment was unexpected in a country turning dark; it was the flicker of light that makes you think there is still hope.

But this time, a night before the Court of Appeal judgment, I did not dare to pray for justice. We had a change in prime minister and government, with both aligned to Najib.

Politics of party-hopping and favour exchange is now the norm. The mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic had structurally destroyed our economy and society. Many have moved out of the country without looking back.

Beyond this, I did not dare to pray for justice because I know that it takes a rare commodity – a secret ingredient – for the Court of Appeal judges to dismiss Najib’s appeal...