Court allows Najib to attend BN meeting but says trial must go on

 

BN adviser Najib Razak is on trial in connection with RM2.28 billion, allegedly from 1MDB, in his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court said Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial needs to proceed today, despite a request for the former prime minister to attend a Barisan Nasional meeting.

Trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said the court will stand at about 10.30am for Najib to leave and head for the Umno headquarters.

“I can accommodate him to attend the meeting but we need to continue at 2.30pm,” he said.

Najib’s lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, told the court earlier that BN parties will hold a critical meeting today in connection with the choice of a candidate for the prime minister’s post.

“He is the BN adviser, he needs to be there with the Umno president (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi),” he said.

Najib is on trial on 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering over alleged 1MDB funds amounting to RM2.28 billion deposited in his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

Yesterday, Umno MPs also held a meeting with BN colleagues at the party’s headquarters.

The BN MPs later said they had unanimously named Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob as its candidate for the prime minister’s post.

Ismail was the deputy prime minister during Muhyiddin Yassin’s Perikatan Nasional administration.

Muhyiddin will serve as caretaker prime minister until his successor is appointed. - FMT