Court calls for Najib’s defence in RM2.27 bln 1MDB corruption, money laundering trial

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 30): Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s trial for corruption and money laundering involving 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s (1MDB) RM2.27 billion funds will continue as the High Court today ordered him to defend himself in this case.

Trial judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah said the prosecution had succeeded in proving a prima facie case for all 25 charges in the 1MDB trial against Najib.

This means the former finance minister has to continue to face all the 25 charges.

The 71-year-old Najib was given three choices: to remain silent; become his own defence witness and give his statement under oath from the witness stand; or give an unsworn statement from the dock.

He chose to testify from the witness stand for all four power abuse charges as well as for all 21 money-laundering charges in the 1MDB trial.

Najib was charged six years ago in September 2018 with four counts of power abuse and 21 money-laundering charges in relation to 1MDB’s RM2.27 billion, including over RM2 billion which was alleged to have entered his personal bank accounts.

Najib is currently a prisoner, as he was convicted in a separate trial over ex-1MDB unit SRC International Sdn Bhd’s RM42 million.

His 12-year jail term and RM210 million fine in that SRC case was reduced to six years’ jail and RM50 million fine by the Federal Territories Pardons Board earlier this year.

Any outcomes in Najib’s 1MDB trial will not affect his jail term and fine in the SRC case, as both cases are two different court cases.

While the trial judge was reading out the judgment, Najib’s daughter Nooryana Najwa, and two of his sons, Datuk Mohamad Nizar, Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin were seen in the public gallery in the packed courtroom.

The 1MDB trial was initially scheduled to continue on Nov 18-22, but Najib’s lawyers Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and Tania Scivetti requested for additional time to be given to the defence team, and suggested hearing resume on Dec 2.

Scivetti said the legal team would need to visit Najib in prison to get his instructions and to draft his witness statement; adding that they also need time to interview the other witnesses who will be testifying after their client.

Shafee said that it would be a “cumbersome” process as Najib is currently in prison and his lawyers could not bring all the documents there, and would have to split the process of preparing Najib’s witness statement into several sessions.

As the prosecution indicated it has no objection to the defence’s request for extra time before Najib begins his defence, the trial judge allowed the request to continue the trial on December 2 instead. The judge also said the five hearing dates in November will have to be replaced with other dates.

The 1MDB trial now has 97 hearing dates scheduled from Dec 2 this year until November 2025, with trial dates for every month in this period except for July next year.

Previously, the prosecution said it would offer 49 witnesses to Najib if he was called to enter his defence.

Najib’s lawyers today did not say how many defence witnesses they would call.

— Agency