Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's stepson Riza Aziz, named in the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) asset forfeiture filing for allegedly using monies stolen from government investment arm 1MDB to acquire luxury assets, is reaping what he sowed for selling his soul to the devil, wrote his estranged sister in a Facebook posting.
"If Riza signed his soul to the devil to own what does not rightly belong to him, consider his debt with the devil collected and more due for collection," wrote image consultant Azrene Soraya Abdul Aziz.
Like Riza, Azrene (photo) is a stepchild to Najib, being born out of the first marriage of the PM's present wife Rosmah Mansor and her first husband.
However, she said that Riza was and still is someone that the family loves very much, though their love was not enough for him and those he chose to surround himself with.
"He chose, like many others before him, to have fame, wealth and adulation," she said.
Azrene claimed that her brother is now paying the price for his transgressions, for even if Malaysia is not willing to give the justice people have prayed for, the US has delivered it - in ways that only they can justify.
"Those who know me know that I am the black sheep of the family - but that does not mean I do not love my family. People can call me heartless for what I write today but I have always stood for and done what is right, for truth and for justice even if there is a high price to pay and if it means doing the unpopular thing.
"I have always maintained that if Riza did indeed use and profit from stolen funds he needs to pay for what he has done. If he stood as proxy or as a trustee for what does not belong to him or any individual who asked him to be the 'dutiful son', he needs to pay for it," she said.
Regardless of the reasons given to justify what her brother may have done, Azrene stressed that if it hurts the country and the people, then it is wrong, and must be righted.
She added that though the DOJ has decided to "cop out" by redacting the names of the corrupt government and 1MDB officials and leaving the filing open-ended, she hopes and prays for the sake of this country and all that is right, for the said individuals to be finally brought to justice.
"To everyone who thinks me heartless on this day, please remember this. My prayers for truth and justice - just like any other Malaysian - have been answered this day and will continue to be answered," wrote the image consultant.
Azrene said that the price she has to pay to watch the house of cards come tumbling down and be the voice of encouragement to all not to be afraid to stand up for what is right, "is to painfully watch my other family members that I left behind 10 years ago pay the price for their wrongdoings".
"Consider their debt as continuing to be paid. Ask yourselves: What about your debts? Have you ALL done the necessary debt payments due to yourselves, your country and its people?
"I will continue to pay mine so that we can all sleep soundly from tonight," she said in conclusion.
Riza has denied any wrongdoings in the alleged theft of 1MDB funds as US authorities claimed in their filing that the Hollywood producer told them that monies wired to accounts under his control by firms linked to the alleged embezzlement, were a "gift".
Similarly Najib had denied any complicity in the 1MDB scandal, claiming that the billion or so ringgit wired into his personal accounts were a gift from the Saudi royal family. He was also cleared of any wrongdoing by Malaysian authorities.
At present, Najib and Umno leaders contend that the DOJ filing is a civil proceeding and no criminal charges were filed, nor any wrongdoings proven, asking all to await the end of the DOJ legal process before jumping to any conclusions.
Malaysiakini is attempting to reach out to Riza and Rosmah's aide for their response.
