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KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — The High Court today rejected former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s bid to postpone his 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption trial over more than RM2 million of 1MDB funds.
Najib’s defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah this morning applied to the High Court to defer the 1MDB trial, citing the need to provide time for Najib’s lawyers to prepare court documents by a March 1 deadline for the April hearing of his appeal in the Court of Appeal against his conviction and sentencing in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case involving RM42 million.
Shafee also urged the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to postpone the 1MDB trial as Najib’s lawyers were seeking documents through the US courts to obtain information on alleged bribery of 1MDB officials by Goldman Sachs, which Shafee said would affect how Najib’s lawyers cross-examine prosecution witnesses.
In rejecting the bid, judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah noted that Najib’s lawyers could recall any prosecution witnesses to be questioned again if needed, if there is any related information as a result from the US court matter.
“As far as the US proceedings are concerned, they can carry on. I will allow every opportunity and leeway for the defence to recall as and when the (US) proceedings conclude, whatever revelations, so that will not be an issue.
“As for SRC, I just want to make a point that I have deferred to SRC at the trial stage and I’m going to defer to SRC at the Court of Appeal,” the judge said, referring to how he had gave way for the SRC trial to proceed first and also how the 1MDB trial would not proceed in April on the dates overlapping with the SRC appeal hearing dates.
“We have got only these three days, I have to proceed with the case. I do sympathise with your situation, but I have to proceed with the case, because this court has got very limited dates, so can we proceed with the trial and we have to resume in May,” the judge added.
The judge then asked for the 1MDB trial to proceed, with the 10th prosecution witness Mohd Hazem Abd Rahman then taking the witness stand to resume testifying and to be cross-examined by Najib’s lawyer Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed.
The three days referred by the judge are today until Thursday (February 16 to February 18), which are the only remaining scheduled trial dates in February.
The next scheduled trial dates for the 1MDB case were initially on April 5 to 8, 19 to 22, 26 to 28; May 3 to 6, 17 to 20, 24 to 27; June 1 to 3, 8 to 10, 21 to 24, 28 to 30; and July 5 to 8.
But with the SRC appeal hearing dates rescheduled from February and March to dates in April (April 5 to 8, April 12 to 15, April 19 to 22), this means that the 1MDB trial will resume on May 3 and will not proceed in April.
MORE TO COME