Last week, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad hinted to the New York Times in an in-depth profile that “enough evidence” had been gathered by authorities to charge both former PM Najib Razak, and his wife, Rosmah Mansor in relation to missing (millions? billions?) from 1MDB, an entity set up as a state sovereign wealth fund during Najib’s time in office.
This week, the members of the legal team hoping to salvage what dignity they can of the former first family were revealed in The Star via a combination of local reports and Reuters sources.
Mahathir, who will turn 93 next month, seems to be wasting no time in his pursuit of a reckoning for Najib. He bluntly told the NY Times that “it is obvious that he has stolen money.” Adding measure to that bold statement, he added that it was “not a question of seeking revenge. It is just the application of the rule of law.”
Applying that rule of law is a prosecution team that includes not only the newly appointed attorney general Tommy Thomas, a corporate and commercial lawyer well-versed in asset recovery and corporate fraud, but also Malaysia’s former attorney general, Abdul Gani Patail.
Quick refresher: Gani Patail was unceremoniously sacked by none other than Najib himself in 2015. It is widely believed that he had been preparing to indict the then-prime minister for charges related to the 1MDB fiasco.
At the time, it was reported that Gani Patail’s position was terminated for “health reasons.” Fast-forward three years, and the former AG appears to be in good spirits as the prosecution sets about unraveling the mysteries behind the billions that went missing with Najib at the helm.
And if you’re still hungry for a little bit more of the convoluted web of relationships that comprises the prosecution team, we’ll remind you that Gani Patail was also part of same crew that found current de facto prime minister-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim guilty of attempted sodomy.
No hard feelings, obvz.
Meanwhile, Najib’s attempts to assemble a legal dream team of his own has been thwarted in recent weeks by the sudden resignation of several members. But fear not, Najib fans, John Ashcroft’s law firm has signed up for the job.
After the defeat of the Barisan Nasional government, four lawyers and advisers tasked with defending Najib publicly resigned themselves as “amicably” as a Hollywood divorce from the case.
If you’re thinking the name Ashcroft is familar, there’s a reason, he was United States attorney general in the era of spray tans and Paris Hilton, serving in the George W. Bush administration from 2001-2005.
Ashcroft’s time in office drew widespread criticism for the introduction, and his subsequent defense, of the USA Patriot Act, a post 9/11 law aimed at counter-terrorism.
At the time, Democrats and civil liberties groups called the bill everything under the sun from “unconstitutional,” to the catalyst eroding American civil liberties.
It was thought of by many as the gateway to a level of unmitigated government surveillance that had previously not bene seen by US residents and citizens.
The law’s reach was later curbed after disclosures made by whistle-blower/”traitor” Edward Snowden. His leaks highlighted that government agencies were able to circumvent due process though Patriot Act provisions, and were, in fact, gathering American’s phone and email communications in bulk.
Ashcroft’s also the guy who re-issued the memo that OK’d torture in Iraqi prisons after Department of Justice officials questioned the legality of certain — ahem — “enhanced interrogation techniques.”
Cool, so Team Najib: That guy at the wheel.
Rounding out the ranks, according to Reuters, is US litigator David Boies, previously called in to save the hides of beleaguered white-collar defendants like AIG’s Hank Greenberg, and Enron’s Andy Fastow, and a one-time legal adviser to alleged plant-wanker, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
There are also claims from the same source that Matthew Schwartz, who handled the Bernie Madoff Ponzi-scheme case, is also part of Jibby’s dream team.
Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, meanwhile, has engaged the local legal counsel of K. Kumaraendran and Geethan Ram Vincent, who were seen accompanying her earlier this month as she underwent questioning by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
According to The Star, Kumaraendran has reportedly defended a “Tan Sri” in a bribery case relating to the Sultan of Johor, and Geethan successfully argued for the acquittal of a former city official after he allegedly failed to declare his full income five years ago.
Meanwhile, your favorite yacht-squatter Jho Low, widely believed to be involved in the misappropriation of 1MDB cash, is still seeking a meeting with the MACC from the comforts of a chaise-lounge in Dubai.
Mahathir has so far publicly denied Low any kind of meeting.
Can’t wait for the mini-series starring David Schwimmer and the ghost of Johnny Cochrane y’all! If those Birkins aren’t legit, you must acquit.
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