KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial cannot go on today and tomorrow, as he is now on a two-day sick leave and undergoing treatment for “acute pain” in his right knee.
While the 1MDB trial was scheduled to be heard today, Hospital Kuala Lumpur’s Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology head Dr Siti Hawa Tahir appeared in court to explain why the two-day medical certificate was issued to the 71-year-old Najib.
Dr Siti Hawa, who is a senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon specialising in knee injuries since 2011, said the prison had yesterday referred Najib to her due to his complaint of acute pain in his right knee.
She said the hospital had previously been treating Najib for his left knee problems for the past few years: “However this is the other knee which he’s complained and had not been investigated before. For this acute pain, we are initiating treatment to ensure nothing else is missing.”
As Najib has allergies to certain drugs, Dr Siti Hawa said he has since last night been put on opioids which is a type of “strong analgesic painkiller” to control his pain and enable him to get up and walk.
She said opioids have side effects such as drowsiness, and that Najib had complained of feeling drowsy since the painkiller treatment was started.
When asked if Najib could be brought to the High Court in a wheelchair to attend the 1MDB trial, Dr Siti Hawa explained that a medical team would have to be on standby at the hospital usually whenever a patient is on opioids and also said Najib is not fully mentally alert.
Dr Siti Hawa, who has served for 31 years, confirmed to the court that Najib is not fit to attend court proceedings today and tomorrow.
As for how long Najib would have to be treated for his right knee pain, she said this would depend on the patient, as different patients may have different response times to treatments. She said acute inflammation in Najib’s right knee would take time to settle and could be days or even weeks.
She also said the medical team is also waiting for the full report of imaging done on Najib’s knee to be able to assess and decide on the appropriate next step for his treatment, which could be surgery or continued painkiller treatment.
Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah thanked Dr Siti Hawa and then said the 1MDB trial would now continue on Thursday as Najib is on the two-day sick leave.
This is not the first time the 1MDB trial has been disrupted when Najib faced medical conditions.
The trial had to be postponed in September 2019 after Najib had an eye infection and also was disrupted in October 2019 as he had eye issues.
The trial in September 2022 was deferred as Najib was on sick leave after being hospitalised for high blood pressure, and was in May 2023 postponed as he was on sick leave for three days for diarrhoea.
