Former Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has officially lodged a complaint with the Communications Ministry regarding the airing of the documentary “Man on the Run” on Netflix.
In a letter from Messrs Shafee and Co, Najib’s legal team argued that the statements made by several individuals in the documentary were in contempt of court as Najib’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) corruption trial was still ongoing at the High Court. The individuals mentioned included former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas and Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown.
Dated Jan 11, the letter was addressed to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din and MCMC chief compliance officer Datuk Zulkairnain Mohd Yasin.
Najib’s legal team also included transcripts of the interviews in the documentary featuring Thomas, Rewcastle-Brown, former Damansara MP Tony Pua and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The letter also consisted of the transcript of interviewees, which included former US ambassador to Malaysia John R. Malott and former US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officers to Malaysia Charles O’Neal (Chuck) and David Smith.
Najib’s lawyers argued that the statements were defamatory, sub judice, prejudicial and biased and had not been proven in a court of law.
“We urged you to take down the documentary and restrain the platform from further airing the documentary,” the letter stated.
The letter was also sent to the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex deputy registrar, Attorney General Datuk Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh, and the prosecution at the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).
Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah also made the complaint to High Court judge Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah during the 1MDB trial, stating that they were seeking to remove the 98-minute documentary from the streaming platform due to its “subjudicial and contemptuous” content.
Directed by Cassius Michael Kim, the documentary first aired in cinemas in Singapore and was released on Netflix on Jan 5.
