KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial will finally commence on Wednesday after several postponements.
High Court Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah today ordered the trial, also dubbed the 1MDB-Tanore trial, to start at 9.30am on Aug 28.
The former prime minister is facing four charges of having used his positions to obtain gratification totalling RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same money.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Datuk V. Sithambaram, who is leading the SRC International Sdn Bhd case, told the court that the SRC trial was still going on this morning with Najib’s lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, cross-examining the last witness.
“Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee may require another one and a half hours to finish the cross-examination, while the prosecution needs another two hours to conduct re-examination,“ he said, adding that the prosecution requires another half day to complete the SRC case.
Muhammad Shafee, however, again requested for the 1MDB trial to start on Sept 3, saying the defence needed time to prepare for it.
“Yesterday, we were served with another two-volume documents. So, we need time to prepare for it. I hope the court uses its discretion to give us a little more time to prepare because it will cause a serious impairment to our preparation,“ the lawyer said.
Former Federal Court Judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, who was appointed as senior deputy public prosecutor in the 1MDB case, told the court that the prosecution has lined up six witnesses to testify after he has delivered the opening statement on Wednesday.
“First and second witnesses are very short,“ Sri Ram said.
It is understood that the witnesses to be called next week are administrative officer Farah Nurdiana Azhar, who is attached with the Malaysian Members of Parliament Affairs Division, and officers from the Prime Minister’s Office.
On the four corruption charges, Najib, 66, is alleged to have committed the offences at the Jalan Raja Chulan branch of AmIslamic Bank Berhad, at No. 55, Jalan Raja Chulan, Bukit Ceylon here between Feb 24, 2011 and Dec 19, 2014 under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act and is punishable under Section 24 (1) of the same law.
He faces an imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of up to five times the sum or value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if found guilty.
For the 21 money laundering charges, Najib is alleged to have committed the offences at the same bank between March 22, 2013 and Aug 30, 2013.
All the charges were made according to Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act (Amlatfa), which provides for a maximum fine of RM5 million and jail term of five years, or both, on conviction.
The judge had on Monday adjourned the trial, which was scheduled to start on Aug 19, to next Monday.
Previously, Justice Sequerah had set Aug 19 to 29, the month of September and October except for Fridays, and the first two weeks of November for Najib’s 1MDB trial. — Bernama
