The attorney-general (AG) is not expected to decide on Najib Abdul Razak’s representation over the next few months, said his representative.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul told the criminal court that the AG is still perusing the ex-premier’s bid for withdrawal of the RM27 million SRC International money laundering case.
Judge K Muniandy today queried prosecutors over the status of Najib’s letter of representation, sent in July last year.
Muniandy: What about the letter of representation?
Ashrof: There is no decision yet. I do not foresee any decision in the next few months.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court’s query came on the heels of a bid by Najib’s lawyers to postpone the scheduled September trial of the three money laundering charges against him.
Lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah cited two other ongoing court cases occupying a large portion of the legal team's time.
One is the Aug 15 hearing of SRC's civil suit against Najib linked to RM4 billion loan from the Retirement Fund Incorporated (Kwap).
The other is the Aug 19 oral submissions in a criminal case against the ex-finance minister over alleged abuse of power and money laundering of RM2.27 billion of 1MDB funds.
“We work from 2am to 10pm every day,” Shafee lamented, adding that Najib’s legal team is completely exhausted.
With no objections from Ashrof, Muniandy then rescheduled the RM27 million SRC case trial to next year, namely April 21 to 25 and May 19 to 23.
This criminal case is different from the RM42 million SRC graft case against Najib, for which he was convicted and is now serving a six-year jail sentence. He was also fined RM50 million.
The RM27 million SRC money laundering case against Najib has been postponed several times since 2019 due to the accused’s other criminal cases.
The charges
On Feb 3, 2019, before the criminal court, Najib claimed trial to three money laundering counts. He is alleged to have accepted proceeds from illegal activities of RM27 million, via three bank accounts.
The former Pekan MP was accused of committing the offence at AmIslamic Bank, Ambank Group Building, No 55, Jalan Raja Chulan on July 8, 2014.
The charge was framed under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
He faces a maximum fine of RM5 million, imprisonment of up to five years, or both if convicted. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.