This is a sentiment shared by many, including Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) Director Cynthia Gabriel, who described the move as “responsible and accountable leadership”.
“I applaud Nazir’s move. He showed good corporate governance.
“C4 has made numerous calls for the prime minister and his brother to step aside while the probe into 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the RM2.6 billion donation was under way.
“Nazir has shown good corporate governance while his brother chose to cling to power to the detriment of the rakyat,” Cynthia told FMT.
Meanwhile, Marina Mahathir, daughter of former Premier Dr Mahathir Mohamed, took to Twitter to express her sentiments. “More honorable than his brother,” she posted on the social media platform.
Tony Fernandes, AirAsia’s group’s chief executive officer had earlier described Nazir’s decision as “a class act“ on Instagram.
The bank’s board of directors are reviewing a report after the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said Nazir received USD7 million in funds that were transferred to his personal bank account from his elder brother, Prime Minister Najib Razak, before the country’s 2013 election.
“Family members do ask for help. That is the nature of what families do. However, when my brother asked me for help, I looked at the legal side, whether it was right or wrong.
“At that time, I did not think it was wrong,” Nazir said.