KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial will not be on this week as previously scheduled, to allow for his separate trial involving former 1MDB unit SRC International Sdn Bhd’s RM42 million to go on first.
Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, who is leading the prosecution team in Najib’s 1MDB case, informed High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah that Najib’s separate trial involving SRC International will proceed this week.
"This week, we are told SRC is on. We are scheduled to commence this week,” Sri Ram said.
Sri Ram also noted that the prosecution team in Najib’s 1MDB case is also involved in the prosecution of Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s bribery trial involving a solar hybrid project that is scheduled to resume next week.
Sri Ram then requested Sequerah to allow the 1MDB trial to resume next Wednesday instead of next Monday, to allow for Sri Ram to hand over the prosecution of Rosmah’s case to others.
Najib’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah also confirmed that the SRC trial will be on this entire week.
"It will proceed this whole week. I’m not confident we can finish the witnesses,” Shafee said, while also noting that the SRC trial may overflow past this week as not all the defence witnesses for Najib can be called this week.
Sequerah, who said he will allow for the first day of next week’s trial date to be taken off instead of the two days requested by Sri Ram in view of Rosmah trial’s prosecution handover, then said Najib’s 1MDB trial will resume next Tuesday.
"Next week we will commence on Tuesday. So the case will proceed on Tuesday next week,” the 1MDB trial judge said, referring to March 10.
For the 1MDB trial, the High Court had previously fixed trial dates from March 2 (today) to 6, 9 to 13, 19 to 20, 23 to 27 and 30 to 31 inclusive of Friday, the entire month of April, May 4 to 8, 11 to 15 and 18 to 22 inclusive of Fridays, as well as June until October inclusive of Fridays.
On trial dates that fall on Fridays when Muslims must perform mandatory prayers, Sequerah had previously said proceedings would be adjourned earlier at noon.
Najib was seen entering the courtroom at around 9.41am, just before Sequerah decided to allow a request by Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s lawyers for Zahid’s trial scheduled for today to be deferred to allow for him to engage in discussions with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for the formation of a new Cabinet.
Najib was also seen chatting with Zahid briefly, just before Najib’s 1MDB case was called up for mention immediately after Zahid’s case.
Najib’s 1MDB case related to over RM2 billion of 1MDB funds involves 25 charges, namely four counts of power abuse and 21 counts of money laundering.
But Najib's SRC International trial which involves seven charges will only resume at 2.30pm today, as the ninth defence witness called by Najib’s lawyers required time to get more documents.
In the proceedings before High Court judge Nazlan, ad hoc prosecutor Datuk V. Sithambaram told the court that the ninth defence witness MACC investigating officer Assistant Commissioner Mohd Nasharudin Amir would only be able to obtain further documentation required for the prosecution’s cross-examination by 2.30pm.
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