MALAYSIA IS NOT A RELIABLE COUNTRY UNDER NAJIB - son of slain Ambank founder fears for his own life

Pascal Najadi, son of slain AmBank founder Hussain Najadi, said he will never return to Malaysia unless there is a new government in power.

This is after he became disillusioned with the Malaysian government and police over the failure to nab the man who instructed the murder of his father on July 29, 2013.

"We don't trust the current government and the current security services. I repeat myself: Malaysia is not a reliable country.

"The Malaysian government has to change. This current government - I stop short of calling it criminal - but they are not serious," he told Malaysiakini in a Skype interview from Russia.

Pascal is angry with the inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar for declaring the case "solved" after police captured the shooter, Kong Swee Kuan, who was sentenced to death last year.

This is despite the police, in October 2013, requesting Interpol's assistance to capture Lim Yuen Soo who allegedly paid Kong RM20,000 to carry out the hit; Lim still remains at large.

Pascal also reiterated that Khalid had no power to declare a case closed as it is under the purview of the attorney-general.

Fighting back, Pascal yesterday launched a ‘Justice for Najadi’ campaign with a dedicated Facebook page to put pressure on the Malaysian authorities, after claiming that the mastermind had returned to Malaysia under an alias.

The page had gained almost 2,000 likes within one day and Pascal expressed thanks for the outpouring of support.

He also noted the ongoing allegations that US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) in funds linked to 1MDB was allegedly deposited into Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak private bank accounts and the authorities’ bid to silence critics on social media.

"Don't be intimidated by the prime minister who threatened Malaysians - his own people - not to share and think on social media.

"It shows to you that the PM and his company are extremely nervous," he said.

'Right timing'

Pascal admitted that him rachetting up the campaign to seek justice for his father, almost two years after the incident, was timed with the allegations levelled against Najib as he believed the two events are somehow linked,

"It only happened now because now is the time that’s right and safe to talk about it.

"You must understand that we also got a lot of new elements since the incredible revelations made by Sarawak Report and the Wall Street Journal," he said.

However, police had insisted that Hussain's murder is not related to 1MDB.

Police had claimed that the AmBank founder was killed for mediating on behalf of a temple to prevent its land from being acquired but Pascal rubbished this.

"Do you really believe an execution like this happened in the middle of daylight because an old man is just doing mediation between parties about the temple? Definitely not.

"This is not what you do unless this was to stop him fast from talking about something else," he said.

Pascal said he recalled his father mentioning names about Umno men who had approached him to participate in a "scheme" before he left Russia in 2013.

However, he regretted not paying attention then.

"This was before the killing, I had something else in mind, I was preparing to go to Russia; we were talking about the business.

"He mentioned names, but I seriously didn't pick them up because for me, personally, that (Malaysian politics) was never an interest to me.

"You know, I wish I could go back in time and put a tape recorder on the table," he said.

'Father had no enemies'

So, it came as a shock when Hussain was abruptly gunned down near Lorong Ceylon in Kuala Lumpur.

"We were extremely shocked because he never had enemies; we never had a hint.

"My father never had bodyguards. He was a free and happy man," said Pascal.

Disillusioned with the police, Pascal had since hired private investigators to get to the bottom of the case.

However, he conceded that he cannot do "self-justice", particularly over the allegation that the mastermind - Lim - was back in Malaysia.

"We are pushing now but we still have to rely on the justice system in Malaysia.

"We cannot do self-justice - we can only assist - and when the time is right, we will come out.

"But the first order now is for the Malaysian police and security services to get this person (Lim) behind bars and interrogated," he said. - M'kini