Najib Abdul Razak’s lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah is again undergoing quarantine due to close contact with a Covid-19 positive person.
Several other members of the former prime minister's defence team are under quarantine as well.
As a result, Najib’s RM2.28 billion corruption trial before the Kuala Lumpur High Court was vacated today and tomorrow, to resume on Aug 17.
This was confirmed by Najib’s counsel Nur Syahirah Hanapiah when contacted this morning.
“We will resume (trial) again on Aug 17.
“He (Shafee) got in close contact with a (Covid-19) positive person on July 3,” she explained on the reason for the vacating of proceedings before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
This is not the first time that close contact with a Covid-19 positive person led to the postponement of Najib’s 1MDB trial, with such postponements seen on March 12 and on Oct 5 last year, as well as on Feb 18 and May 3 this year.
On March 13 last year, the Health Ministry ordered Shafee to be quarantined pending the result of a Covid-19 test. The lawyer tested negative later.
Another member of Najib's legal team, Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, also confirmed the quarantines.
"A few of the lawyers including him (Shafee) had to be quarantined because (of close contact with) a Covid-19 patient," Farhan told Malaysiakini.
Najib is on trial for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion of 1MDB funds.
Besides being the former prime minister, the accused was also the finance minister and chairperson of 1MDB’s board of advisers.
1MDB is wholly owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc). - Mkini
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