The start of Najib Abdul Razak’s RM2.28 billion 1MDB trial has been postponed to Wednesday next week following an application by both the prosecution and the former prime minister’s defence team.
Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah today allowed the application for the postponement. The trial was originally set to begin next Monday.
Both sides had sought the postponement to allow the completion of testimony of MACC investigating officer Rosli Hussain who is the final witness in Najib’s ongoing RM42 million SRC International trial.
During a brief open court mention of the 1MDB matter before Sequerah this afternoon, DPP V Sithambaram informed the judge that parties needed more time to complete the prosecution stage of the SRC International trial.
Sithambaram is part of the prosecution team in the SRC International trial before Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali while former federal court judge and special prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram will head the prosecution team for the upcoming 1MDB trial.
“We have been doing this case (the SRC International trial before Nazlan) since this morning but it has yet to be completed.
“(Najib’s lead defence counsel Muhammad) Shafee (Abdullah) needs an hour more (to complete the cross-examination of Rosli). We hope to ask your lordship for half a day to complete the case,” Sithambaram said.
He added they hoped to complete the SRC International trial by next week.
At this juncture, Shafee stood up and informed the court the defence team was still going through the court documents in preparation for the 1MDB trial and may not complete this by Monday.
“I would like to renew my application that we start (the 1MDB trial) on Sept 3,” he said, adding that this would be ideal to prevent impairment of the defence’s ability to prepare for the 1MDB trial.
Unlike the prosecution which has two separate teams to handle the SRC International trial and 1MDB trial respectively, Najib only has a single defence team led by Shafee to handle both matters.
Shafee said that in any event, the defence was also prepared for the 1MDB trial to start at the tail-end of next week.
“Cross-examination is not an easy task for the SRC (International trial). We seek Yang Arif’s discretion to give us more time,” he said, adding that it would affect not just his client Najib, but also the defence lawyers involved.
When Sequerah asked Sri Ram how many witnesses the prosecution could prepare for next week, the former apex court judge replied that they would have six formal witnesses ready to testify.
“Then we can start on Wednesday morning at 9.30am,” Sequerah ruled.
When met after proceedings, DPP Ahmad Akram Gharib, who is part of the 1MDB prosecution team, said that among the six witnesses would be those who had been previously called to testify in the SRC International trial.
“Among these witnesses is someone from the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office),” said Akram.
Yesterday, during case management of the 1MDB case, Sequerah had set further case management for this afternoon to decide on whether the trial could proceed next week.
The 1MDB trial has been rescheduled several times, with one being from Monday this week to Monday next week.
Both the defence and prosecution had sought the rescheduling to allow the unimpeded completion of the prosecution stage of the SRC International trial. - Mkini
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