Jailing of Najib does not spell end of Umno's struggle: Party chief Zahid

PETALING JAYA • It is not over yet for Malaysia's largest party Umno, even after the imprisonment of its former party president Najib Razak, said Umno chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday.

Zahid, who is facing multiple graft charges himself, said that many detractors had predicted the party will be completely vanquished after the imprisonment of former prime minister Najib.

"They are hoping that their plans and tricks will be made easier to be implemented; clearly they are making a wrong move," he said in a statement, referring to Umno's critics. "Najib's story will not be the end of the struggle to restore prosperity in the country. Instead, it will be a strengthening 'charm' for us to work together and boost our high spirits for our struggles."

The Federal Court on Tuesday upheld Najib's conviction, 12-year jail sentence and a RM210 million (S$65 million) fine for misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International, a subsidiary of sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

A five-member bench led by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat dismissed the former prime minister's appeal to overturn the conviction and sentence imposed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 28, 2020.

Zahid said that many detractors had also predicted it would be over for Umno after the 14th general election when the Barisan Nasional coalition it leads was defeated for the first time.

"They wanted to completely end Umno's lifeline, but thanks to our collective determination, we managed to stop them. Let us together move forward and fight for Umno's revival," he added.

Najib is facing four other criminal cases linked to 1MDB, involving tampering with an audit report and money laundering.

The day after Najib was sent to prison, hundreds of his supporters rallied outside the national palace in Kuala Lumpur, seeking a royal pardon that could allow him to contest in the country's next general election.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK