1MDB TRIAL | Najib Abdul Razak has been warded at Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) due to pain in his right knee, leading to the vacating of the ex-premier’s RM2.27 billion power abuse and money laundering trial.
The government hospital’s senior orthopaedic consultant Dr Siti Hawa Tahir told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that the 71-year-old accused is on medical leave from today to tomorrow.
Siti Hawa told trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah that the ex-finance minister is on opioids, which makes him drowsy and unable to follow the criminal court proceedings.
The specialist with 31 years of experience explained that Kajang Prison referred Najib to HKL upon Najib complaining of pain in his right knee.
She said that HKL started Najib on analgesic painkillers as the accused was sensitive to certain drugs.
“He is on opioids and he needs to take it to control the pain, otherwise he cannot get up and about without issue.
“Opioids act on the brain, he has drowsiness and we know this is one of the side effect risks of the drug,” Siti Hawa said.
When Sequerah asked whether Najib could attend the trial in a wheelchair, Siti Hawa said the accused would still be drowsy from the drugs and would not be “mentally there”.
Precious dates
The trial judge then vacated the trial for today and tomorrow and for proceedings to resume on Thursday.
Sequerah however reminded both the prosecution and defence team that precious trial dates were taken up by the two-day postponement.
The trial judge added that oral submissions would have a cut-off point on Oct 4, stating that on that day he would be ready to set a separate date to deliver a verdict on whether Najib walks free or needs to enter his defence.
25 charges
Najib is on trial over 25 counts encompassing abuse of power and money laundering of RM2.27 billion funds from 1MDB.
For the four abuse of power charges, the former Pekan MP allegedly committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch in Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur, between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014.
On the 21 money laundering counts, Najib purportedly committed the offences at the same bank between March 22 and Aug 30, 2013.
The accused was first charged on Sept 20, 2018, and his criminal trial began on Aug 28, 2019.
On May 30 this year, the prosecution closed its case, six years after the former prime minister was first charged in late 2018.
The proceedings are now in the oral submissions stage, which involves no witness testimonies, only legal teams summing up whether the oral and documentary evidence implicates or exonerates Najib.
Fifty witnesses took the stand for the prosecution, including 1MDB’s former general counsel Jasmine Loo.
Loo was allegedly part of key 1MDB figure Low Taek Jho’s (Jho Low) inner circle. Authorities are still tracking down Low.
Prosecutors claimed that Najib received RM2.27 billion misappropriated from the troubled sovereign wealth fund between 2011 and 2014.
However, Najib’s defence team contended that the former premier had no knowledge of any wrongdoing at 1MDB and that any wrongdoing that may have happened was solely masterminded by Low and members of the fund’s management.
The former finance minister also previously contended that the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia promised the accused financial donation for political purposes.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib prosecuted.
Lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah represented Najib. - Mkini
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