Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was found guilty on July 28 of all seven charges in his first trial, related to SRC International and 1MDB.

He was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million (S$68.1 million) for his crimes.

Claimed that the judge is related to Mahathir

Following the verdict, supposed supporters of Najib have attempted to discredit Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who gave the guilty verdict.

Among the allegations was that Nazlan is either the grandson or grandnephew of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, thus questioning his impartiality.

One Twitter user, Ramesh Rao, who leads a non-governmental organisation (NGO), said on July 28:

https://twitter.com/RameshRaoAKS/status/1287974441347997697

Translation:

"The judge for #BossKu (Najib)'s case is the grandnephew of @chedetofficial (Mahathir)! No wonder he was so arrogant and rude!!"

His tweet went viral, garnering over 350 comments, most of whom were calling him out for his accusations, although some were in support of his claims.

In an Instagram post, Rao also wrote:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDLJy_nBW-v/

Translation:

"The judge is one of Mahathir's people. Mahathir appointed him from being a commercial court judge to a High Court judge. You can see Mahathir's malicious intentions. If Najib was not guilty, Mahathir would be embarrassed and PH (Pakatan Harapan) will be destroyed because the citizens will push Mahathir and PH away."

Police report was lodged, investigations are ongoing

Following Rao's allegations, a Malaysian citizen has lodged a police report against him.

POLICE REPORT AGAINST RAMESH RAO

Hoi RAMESH RAO.

POLICE REPORT MADE AGAINST YOU FOR CREATING OUTRIGHT LIES ABOUT JUDGE NAZLAN IS A RELATIVE TO TUN SITI HASMAH.

RAMESH U BETTER GET SHAFEE TO DEFEND U IN COURT & ASK NAJIB TO PAY U EXTRA SALARY FOR CREATING LIES IN SOCIAL MEDIA. pic.twitter.com/QYmtGPIaet

— Jess (@jezlai) July 29, 2020

According to Malaysiakini, the federal police headquarters have confirmed that they are investigating the claims stated on the social media post.

Responses from Mahathir's children

Mahathir's son, Mukhriz Mahathir, has responded to the accusations, labelling it "baseless".

He wrote in a July 28 tweet: "The Attorney-General's Chambers should investigate these claims as they clearly insult the judicial institution."

Dakwaan yg langsung tak berasas! Jgn buat tuduhan yg bukan2. Peguam Negara patut siasat tohmahan ini kerana jelas menghina Institusi Kehakiman. https://t.co/u4zlf7FYTL

— Mukhriz Mahathir (@MukhrizMahathir) July 28, 2020

Marina Mahathir, Mahathir's daughter, has also come out to say that the accusations are untrue.

She added that although the family was flattered to be linked to an experienced judge, she firmly stated that the claims were false.

Another accusation against KL High Court

Another accusation against the KL High Court was made by Lokman Noor Adam, a senior officer at Malaysia's finance ministry when Najib was the finance minister.

He accused the High Court of making a "political decision" and claimed that Najib is a threat to both Mahathir and current Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said on July 28, according to The Straits Times: "I am sure that what happened today (Tuesday) is the continuation of oppression conducted by Pakatan Harapan."

Background

Najib served as Malaysia's prime minister from 2009 to 2018.

The seven charges against him involved the transfer of RM42 million (US$9.8 million) from former 1MDB unit SRC International into his personal bank accounts in 2014 and 2015 -- RM27 million and RM5 million in December 2014, and another RM10 million in February 2015.

He was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering and one count of abuse of power.

The three criminal breach of trust charges— as a public servant and agent of the government, namely the PM, finance minister, and SRC International advisor emeritus— were made under Section 409 of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.

Related story

Top image by Paul Kane via Getty Images.