1MDB: Najib diagnosed with diarrhoea, trial ends early

 

1MDB TRIAL | A medical officer from Kajang prison declared Najib Abdul Razak as unfit to proceed with the RM2.27 billion 1MDB corruption trial today after the accused was diagnosed with diarrhoea.

As a result, the trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court ended early. Proceedings will resume tomorrow morning.

With Najib looking on from the dock, medical officer Dr Mohd Hafiz Mohd Hoshini informed trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah about the accused’s medical condition.

Hafiz said during a brief stand-down in the trial, Najib, 70, had complained about experiencing diarrhoea and feeling unwell.

“He (Najib) went to the bathroom three times. After examining him, I found him quite weak, dehydrated, and fatigued,” the medical officer said, adding that he prescribed the former prime minister the medicines Buscopan and Lomotil.

“The side effects of the medicines are that Najib would be drowsy and may not be comfortable standing or sitting for long periods.

“He can sit down (in the dock) but may experience drowsiness,” he said, adding that the accused is not fit to undergo trial as he was also suffering from low blood pressure.

When Sequerah asked how many days Najib would need to be on medical leave, Hafiz said he recommended today and tomorrow.

Only one day’s rest

However, the judge, who has been presiding over the 1MDB trial since 2019, said the criminal court cannot afford to postpone the proceedings any further and would permit Najib to be excused only for today.

Court of Appeal judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah

“Only today. I cannot keep postponing, such as for two days. I allow rest for today and trial will carry on tomorrow at 9am,” said Sequerah, who was High Court judge when the trial began and was elevated to the Court of Appeal in January last year.

Najib is on trial for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.27 billion from 1MDB.

For the four abuse of power charges, the former Pekan MP is alleged to have 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, the former finance minister is purported to have committed the offences at the same bank between March 22, 2013 and Aug 30 of the same year.