Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak said if Dr Mahathir Mohamad's suggestion that lavish lifestyles be used as evidence for corruption happens, then the former prime minister may end up finding himself in jail.
"If this is how the new legal system is supposed to work, then even Mahathir himself would not be safe, based on the lavish lifestyles of his own family, who would need to prove they are not corrupt or else would have to go to jail," he said in a blog posting today.
Salleh said this was tantamount to assuming a person is guilty until and unless he or she can prove innocence.
"If that is how our legal system is supposed to work, then no one is safe any longer.
"You can be arrested and put in jail just because someone says you are corrupt, based on the car you drive or the house you live in," he said.
Earlier today, Mahathir, in his keynote speech at the Malaysia's War on Corruption Symposium, proposed that the courts should take into account a person's
lavish lifestyle
as evidence in corruption cases.
"When they spent money, the things they buy become very physical. That’s where you can detect corruption," he said.
Unfortunately, Mahathir said the courts presently wanted to see people turn up in court to testify that bribery did take place.
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