KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here has fixed March 1 for the case management of six criminal breach of trust (CBT) charges amounting to RM6.6 billion faced by Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and former Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah.
Deputy public prosecutor Shafiq Hasim said Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin set the date for both parties to inform the court on the progress of the CBT case as well as cases related to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and audit report involving the former prime minister.
“The prosecution had applied for a new date for case management as the 1MDB case involving Datuk Seri Najib is still ongoing at the cross-examination stage for the 12th prosecution witness, namely 1MDB’s former chief financial officer Azmi Tahir. The witnesses and evidence that will be presented at the CBT trial are similar to that in the 1MDB’s case,” he told reporters today.
Counsel Syahirah Hanapiah who is representing Najib also confirmed the matter.
Both Najib and Mohd Irwan Serigar attended today’s proceedings.
On Oct 9, 2020, Judge Muhammad Jamil fixed 32 days on every working day in September and October 2021 except Friday for the CBT trial but it was vacated to give way to two cases related to 1MDB involving Najib.
The new dates for the CBT trial have not been fixed.
On Oct 25, 2018, Najib, 68, and Mohd Irwan Serigar, 64, pleaded not guilty to six charges of CBT amounting to RM6.6 billion in government funds involving payments to International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC).
Najib and Mohd Irwan Serigar were jointly accused of committing all the offences at the Finance Ministry Complex, Putrajaya between Dec 21, 2016, and Dec 18, 2017.
They were charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same code which provides for a maximum of 20 years jail and whipping as well as fine upon conviction.-Bernama
