The Federal Court for now would only be hearing on Jan 19 regarding Najib Abdul Razak’s review against his conviction and sentencing in the RM42 million SRC International corruption case.
It has taken off the previously-set additional hearing dates on Jan 20 and 26.
When contacted by the media today, deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul confirmed that the apex court has rescheduled the hearing of the review.
According to a copy of an email from the court issued earlier to both the prosecution and the defence team, it said the rescheduling was due to a member of the Federal Court panel that has other ongoing cases that clashed with the Jan 20 and 26 hearing dates.
When contacted today, Najib's counsel Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee explained that it was not so much a rescheduling but that the two hearing dates were taken off, and that no replacement dates so far have been set for those dates by the apex court.
Najib is seeking a different apex court quorum than the one led by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who on Aug 23 last year dismissed his appeal to overturn the guilty verdict as well as a jail sentence and RM210 million fine over one charge of abuse of power, three counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT), and three counts of money laundering involving RM42 million of funds from SRC.
Currently incarcerated at Kajang Prison, the former finance minister is also currently pursuing other avenues outside the judiciary, namely a petition for royal pardon as well as a petition before the United Nations over his alleged arbitrary detention.
According to a copy of the notice of motion, the former Pekan MP is also seeking a review against the apex court’s decision to dismiss his three interlocutory applications.
One is Najib’s application to recuse trial judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali from the SRC International case and nullify the whole trial.
Second is his bid to adjourn the Federal Court hearing of his appeal to allow his legal team to prepare for the case, and third is his application to recuse Tengku Maimun from the appeal.
Besides an acquittal, Najib may also get a rehearing of his SRC appeal before a different apex panel if his review is allowed.
The BN advisory chairperson still has four other pending criminal court cases, namely the RM2.28 billion 1MDB corruption case, the RM6.6 billion International Petroleum Investment Company criminal breach of trust case, the 1MDB audit amendment case, and a money laundering case involving RM27 million from SRC. - Mkini
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