Najib was given a different narrative about the storyline of the Man On The Run documentary, thus he agreed to be interviewed then
KUALA LUMPUR – Former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, today alleged that he was misled by the directors of the documentary currently showing on Netflix, Man On The Run, for an interview a few years ago.
One of the directors and script writer had allegedly given the then Prime Minister a different narrative, indicating that the documentary was supposedly about 1MDB fugitive, Low Taek Jho or Jho Low.
Najib’s defence counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said that the documentary painted a negative picture about Najib throughout his tenure as the Prime Minister.
“Najib was approached by two directors of the said documentary, one of whom was Cassius Michael Kim. In the beginning, apparently there were two directors, however, one of them withdrew after witnessing the way the documentary was progressing,” Shafee said during a press conference at the High Court here after the ongoing 1MDB-Tanore trial today.
Najib Thought It Was About Jho Low
“My client was misled into believing that ‘Man On The Run’ would be about Jho Low and not about Najib. It is obvious that what they relayed to him was different than the finished storyline of the documentary.
“Nevertheless, what Najib said during the interview that was aired in the documentary was the truth. I watched the programme and can justify that what he said was correct and truthful, but the storyline was later diverted to paint a different picture.”
At the same time, Shafee was disappointed with the action of a number of individuals who made references to 1MDB, of which a trial is currently ongoing, and painted an unsavoury picture about Najib.
“Among these were the editor of Sarawak Report, Clare Rewcastle Brown who made an extreme statement as though Najib was a desperate leader who was willing to do anything to cover his wrongdoings, including associating him with the murder of Deputy Public Prosecutor, Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais.
“At the same time, the statement by former Attorney-General, Tan Sri Tommy Thomas himself tried to associate Najib with the murder of Mongolian model, Altantuya Shaaribuu. The way they made the allegations made it seem that Najib was not only corrupted, but also a serial murderer, and we cannot tolerate such implications.”
Shafee said that they will also institute contempt of court proceedings against Thomas and Brown, apart from filing defamation suits against those who associate his client with murder and other allegations.
The Man On The Run documentary runs for a duration of 1 hour 38 minutes and was aired on Netflix on 5 January this year. Apparently it was first aired in cinemas in Singapore on 5 October last year, but did not receive favourable response and screening had stopped.
Interestingly, the documentary also featured interviews with the current Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Chief Executive Office of The Edge, Mr Ho Kay Tat and former PetroSaudi International Ltd officer, Xavier Andrew Justo. – NMH
Datin Hasnah is the co-founder and CEO of New Malaysia Herald based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
With an extensive background in mass communication and journalism, she works on building up New Malaysia Herald and it’s partner sites. A tireless and passionate evangalist, she champions autism studies and support groups.
Datin Hasnah is also the Editor in Chief of New Malaysia Herald.
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