1MDB TRIAL | Six prosecution witnesses were unable to attend court this morning for former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s RM2.28 billion 1MDB corruption trial.
The excuses ran the gamut from being on medical leave due to fever, being overseas at London, suffering from diarrhoea, still under quarantine following coming back to Malaysia from performing Umrah, having a Covid-19 booster shot today, and needing to attend two company meetings.
As a result, the Kuala Lumpur High Court postponed the trial to 2.30pm this afternoon to allow the prosecution to get at least one out of over 50 witnesses they have to come to testify.
During proceedings before trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram informed that 12th prosecution witness, former 1MDB chief financial officer (CFO) Azmi Tahir, was unable to come today as he was on MC due to fever.
“We (prosecution) were supposed to call Azmi Tahir to continue (testimony today). Unfortunately, I have been informed this morning that our witness has gone to a clinic and got MC saying he cannot continue today,” the DPP said, adding that the witness’ eyes looked very red and his body was hot.
Yesterday while visibly being under the weather, Azmi testified during cross-examination by defence counsel Hariharan Tara Singh.
Call other witnesses
When Sequerah asked for the prosecution to call other witnesses to take the witness stand instead this morning, Akram informed that they had tried with five other witnesses but found out they too could not attend due to various excuses.
The five witnesses in question are Johan Idris, the managing partner of KPMG who had previously audited 1MDB; Najib’s former special officer Wan Ahmad Shihab Ismail Wan Ismail; former 1MDB board member Ismee Ismail; former 1MDB company officer Lim Poh Seng; and former TRX City Sdn Bhd’s secretarial and compliance director Goh Gaik Kim.
“I called five witnesses. But Johan Idris is in London and would only be available on Jan 29; Ahmad Shihab is not available as he is having diarrhoea for the past three days; Ismee is not around as he just came from umrah (from Saudi Arabia) and he currently under quarantine; Lim Poh Seng is having his booster shot today; and Goh Gaik Kim is also not available as she has to attend two company meetings (today), I told her to cancel it but she said they are important,” Akram said.
Sequerah then informed the DPP to try to get at least one of the over 50 prosecution witnesses to attend proceedings this afternoon.
To resume this afternoon
The trial judge then vacated this morning’s proceedings and directed it to resume at 2.30pm this afternoon. Najib is seen in the dock.
Lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah led the accused’s defence team.
Najib is on trial for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion of 1MDB’s funds.
1MDB is fully owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc).
Besides being the former premier, the accused also used to be finance minister and chairperson of 1MDB’s board of advisers.
The prosecution contended that Low, on the behest of Najib, had acted with several other 1MDB personnel to misappropriate billions of ringgit of funds from the sovereign wealth fund and, via a circuitous and complex financial route, to transfer part of the funds to the then premier’s account.
However, the defence team contended that Najib had no knowledge about wrongdoing at 1MDB and that the whole affair was masterminded completely by Low and several other members of the sovereign wealth fund. - Mkini
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