British media says Malaysian sentence is 'political revenge'

Posted by Leisha Chi-Santorelli BBC News Culture

Getty ImagesSarawak Report founder Clare Rewcastle Brown is the sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

British journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown has accused Malaysia of seeking “political revenge” over her reporting after she was jailed in absentia by a court judge.

The 64-year-old is appealing his surprise conviction this week on charges of defaming Malaysia's royal family.

The local magistrates' court sentenced her to two years in prison after a single-day hearing.

Ms Rewcastle Brown told the BBC she was targeted after her work on the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal.

The scandal resulted in the theft of ₩4.5 billion ($3.9 billion) from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund founded by former Prime Minister Najib Razak, in what is believed to be the world's largest kleptomania case.

The case ensnared Hollywood celebrities, brought down Goldman Sachs bankers and saw the first criminal charges against a prominent Wall Street firm.

Najib was jailed in 2022 but still faces other charges. He denies any wrongdoing.

The Kuala Terengganu Magistrate's Court on Wednesday found Rewcastle Brown guilty in his book 'The Sarawak Report – The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose'. It was ruled that Malaysia's former queen Nur Zahirah had been defamed.

Rucastle Brown said he was not notified in advance and was not given the opportunity to represent himself in court. Her lawyers have already asked the High Court to set aside the conviction for breach of the Criminal Procedure Code.

“Unfortunately this is malicious and politically motivated and I see it as revenge for my public interest journalism,” she told the BBC. “I think there are a lot of very powerful and wealthy people in Malaysia who are bent on revenge. I have confirmed the corruption of their former prime minister. [Najib Razak]He is still popular, powerful and wealthy.

“And I think in just two or three days [he] I did not receive a pardon. [Malaysian] “After his sentence had not lasted, the king, who was trying to get him out of prison, sentenced him to an unfavorable punishment against me.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) described the decision to jail Lew Castle Brown as “outrageous” and urged Malaysia to reverse the sentence and “stop harassing the journalist for her critical reporting on the country's 1MDB scandal.” “He urged. “The world’s largest corruption case.”

“This harsh sentence will prevent all journalists from investigating public corruption in Malaysia and represents a clear and present danger to press freedom in Malaysia,” Sean Crispin, CPJ’s senior representative for Southeast Asia, said in a statement released Friday.

Getty Images Malaysia's 13th King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin ended his five-year reign in 2011. Sultanah Nur Zahirah is on the left, behind her is Rosmah Mansor, wife of Najib Razak.

Malaysia has the world's only rotating constitutional monarchy. Although the federal head of state changes every five years, having a primarily ceremonial role, the monarch wields significant cultural and political influence.

Terengganu, an oil-rich coastal region, is home to one of the country's nine royal families. The Malay ruler is called the Sultan and his wife is called the Sultanah.

Terrangganu Sultanah Nur Zahirah, who served as Queen of Malaysia from 2006 to 2011, faces defamation charges against Ms Rewcastle Brown for allegedly implying she was involved in corrupt practices linked to 1MDB. Two lawsuits were filed.

The first was a civil case in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur that was dismissed by the High Court in October 2022. The case was overturned on appeal and is still making its way through the courts. The second case was one she won in the local magistrates' court.

Rucastle Brown said there was a misidentification in the book, which was corrected in 2018. She also apologized for the error. But her legal team argued that the error was not defamation or criminal defamation.

Mr Rucastle Brown told the BBC: “I am afraid this case has been fabricated and I have no intention of putting the blame on Sultana.”

The BBC has contacted Sultanah Nur Zahirah and her legal team for comment.

Najib's sentence commuted

The former leader is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence, which was reduced by half by Malaysia's Amnesty Commission this week. This is a move that sends a message that Southeast Asian leaders can act with impunity, said James Chin, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Malaysia. Tasmania.

Najib's United Malay National Organization (UMNO), which led the ruling coalition that previously ruled Malaysia, has been pushing for a royal pardon after testing and exhausting other legal avenues of appeal.

ReutersNajib had his sentence halved last month.

Rucastle Brown told the BBC he found it hard to believe there was no connection between Najib's reduced sentence and the defamation conviction that followed.

“I have become somewhat of an icon in the eyes of those who harbor deep resentment that Najib was found guilty and found guilty of this crime.

“We can speculate, but I think it would be difficult to draw a conclusion other than that they are all connected to this 1MDB incident,” he said.

Najib's lawyers are also said to be trying to charge the Netflix documentary 'Man On The Run', which looks at the 1MDB scandal, with 'judicial and derogatory' content.

He also documentaries <맨 온 더 런(Man On The Run)>It is also known that they are considering taking legal action against former Malaysian Attorney General Tommy Thomas and Rewcastle-Brown, who appeared on .

A Netflix spokesperson said the company would not comment on the matter.

Interpol Intervention

Ms Rewcastle Brown is also concerned that the Terengganu Magistrate's Court's ruling could affect her ability to travel freely.

Malaysian law enforcement officials have twice previously applied for Interpol red notices for allegations related to Rewcastle Brown's 1MDB reporting. Interpol had rejected two previous applications, she said.

It is unclear whether Malaysian authorities will again pursue an Interpol Red Notice for Rucastle Brown's arrest. The Kuala Terengganu Magistrate's Court did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment.

Ms Rewcastle Brown is seeking support from the UK government and various non-governmental organizations such as CPJ and Index on Censorship.

Born in Sarawak, Rucastle Brown has two sons with media strategist and former journalist Andrew Brown, the younger brother of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

She established the investigative website Sarawak Report in 2010 and made a name for herself as a journalist and environmental activist focusing on corruption in the lucrative palm oil trade.

She hopes to one day return to Malaysia without the threat of imprisonment.

“I’m going to keep going,” she said. “I am just one of many journalists campaigning to support the right of journalists to do their job – to provide information in the public interest to a wider audience.”

Clare Rewcastle Brown A 2021 Malaysian police arrest warrant for Clare Rewcastle Brown, which Interpol had previously dismissed twice.

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