Following the conclusion of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial, former PKR acting president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli recalled having written 123 articles about the case. His remarks drew criticism from UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Mohamad Bubi, who advised Rafizi “not to dwell on the past” and warned him “not to consider yourself a hero.”
Najib was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined over RM11.4 billion for his involvement in the 1MDB money-laundering and abuse-of-power cases, drawing widespread attention. Rafizi had posted that he had authored 123 articles about 1MDB, prompting Bubi to respond by publicly criticizing him, citing past controversial cases including 1MDB, the National Cattle Company, and the Tabung Haji scandal. Bubi described Rafizi as “a manipulative and data-leaking agitator.”
The Johor state assembly speaker and Tanjung Piai assemblyman mocked Rafizi in his statement, asking twice, “Does Rafizi still remember?” and “What does Rafizi remember?” He urged Rafizi to “stop reminiscing about the past” and stressed, “You are not a hero.”
Bubi highlighted that in the National Cattle Company case, many were accused, including the company’s executive chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Salleh and his three children, who were acquitted by the High Court in 2023. He noted that Mohamed Salleh’s wife, former Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datin Seri Shariza, had resigned amid the scandal and the family faced Rafizi’s alleged defamation for 12 years.
Bubi added that the Federal Court had ruled that Public Bank had illegally disclosed the company’s account information, breaching confidentiality obligations, and had to pay the company RM90 million in compensation.
He also mentioned that Rafizi was sentenced to 30 months in jail for breaching the 1989 Banking and Financial Institutions Act but was acquitted by the High Court, and the Attorney General at the time, Tommy Thomas, withdrew the appeal.
In the Tabung Haji case, the court had ordered Rafizi to defend himself, but on the first day of trial, Tommy Thomas instructed prosecutors to withdraw the case. Bubi further pointed out that Rafizi had previously been sentenced to 18 months in prison under the 1972 Official Secrets Act.
According to records, Rafizi was sentenced for releasing the 1MDB audit report, but following the declassification of the documents in 2018, his sentence was reduced to two years’ probation with a RM10,000 bond.
Bubi expressed astonishment at the ruling, saying, “Rafizi appealed to have his prison sentence converted to two years of probation. He remained guilty, yet the sentence was changed, and Tommy Thomas did not object — this is highly unusual.”
He concluded that Rafizi should not dwell on past events, as he was not a hero in the 1MDB, National Cattle Company, or Tabung Haji cases. In Bubi’s view, Rafizi is “a manipulative and data-leaking agitator.”
