Najib didn’t show courtesy to inform court of audience, says judge

 

Najib Razak was absent for his 1MDB trial this morning as he had to go to Istana Negara with other Umno MPs for an audience with the King.

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court was told that former prime minister Najib Razak could not be present for his 1MDB trial today.

Lawyer Rahmat Mohamed Hazlan, representing Najib, told trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah that Najib was going to Istana Negara for an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, along with 113 other MPs.

“He is scheduled to leave WTC (World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur) for the Istana at 10.30am,” he said.

However, Sequerah told the lawyer that Najib should have come to court first as a matter of courtesy.

“The news report that I read was that they (MPs) are going to meet the King in batches.

“After the meeting, I want to know what time he is coming back here,” he said.

After a 10-minute break, Sequerah said the trial would proceed after 2pm with the cross-examination of former 1MDB CEO Mohd Hazem Abdul Rahman.

“I had excused myself from a webinar because of this trial. I intend to carry on because we have lost too much time,” the judge said.

Rahmat said he would seek Najib’s instructions when the audience with the King was over.

Najib is standing trial on 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering over funds amounting to RM2.28 billion which were deposited into his bank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014. - FMT