After years of 1MDB trial, Najib says ‘maybe I can sit for my law exam’

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today quipped that he could sit for a law examination after enduring years of trial in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case.

Najib, 71, made the remark during a light-hearted moment while testifying as his own defence witness in the ongoing trial.

Najib’s lead defence lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, had asked if he was aware that investigators, under the law, are required to inform suspects of the exact allegations against them for fair investigations and as part of the criminal procedure.

Najib responded that he was not aware but added: “But as a layman, it stands to reason they should have asked me.”

Shafee then remarked, “six, seven years down the line,” in reference to the length of Najib’s trial.

In a similar tone, Najib quipped, “Maybe I can sit for my law examination.”

Najib was charged more than six years ago, in September 2018, with 25 charges related to the 1MDB case. The trial has been ongoing for the past five years, beginning in August 2019.

Shafee later asked if Najib was aware that investigators were obligated to verify his claims before pressing charges. This prompted Najib to share his views on how he believed the legal process should operate.

“Yes, I’m aware that, as a suspect or someone potentially facing charges, when you provide a reply to an investigating officer’s question, the response must be investigated to determine its veracity.

“Only then, and only then, can you decide whether to charge a person or not.

“Because when you talk about a fair trial, it is predicated on fair investigation. How can you have a fair trial when the investigation itself is flawed?” he asked.

Najib, speaking on his second day as the first defence witness in the trial, emphasised several points in his response to Shafee.

“And it’s very clear in the 1MDB case — the investigation is flawed. I’ve never been asked the relevant fundamental questions, and the charges were prepared one month before my questioning was even completed,” he claimed.

In the trial, Najib faces 25 charges, including four counts of abusing his power in three roles — as prime minister, finance minister, and 1MDB’s board of advisers chairman — for personal financial benefit amounting to RM2.27 billion. He also faces 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2 billion in 1MDB funds.

Najib’s 1MDB trial before Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah resumes this afternoon.