KUALA LUMPUR – Former 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy is set to take the witness stand against former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for the national sovereign fund’s audit report trial.
The latest development comes after the high court allowed the prosecution’s application to call Arul Kanda, who is also a co-accused in this case to testify against Najib in the course of the trial.
According to Malaysiakini, Arul Kanda was seen exiting from the dock and walking to the witness stand as Najib looked on from the dock.
It is learnt that Arul Kanda could be granted a full acquittal subject to the basis of his oral evidence.
High court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said that the prosecution’s application was in order.
“The prosecution has given its grounds for the application and the defence is not prejudiced,” he was quoted as saying.
On June 14, Arul Kanda’s counsel Datuk N. Sivananthan said his client agreed to testify against Najib in the 1MDB audit report tampering trial.
Sivananthan also told Zaini that his client, an accused person in the same trial as Najib, was prepared to stand by his previous statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) during investigations.
Najib, 68, is charged with using his position to order amendments to the 1MDB final audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee to avoid any action being taken against him, while Arul Kanda, 45, is charged with abetting Najib in making the amendments to the report, to protect Najib from being subjected to action.
The offence was allegedly committed at the Prime Minister’s Department Complex, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Federal Territory of Putrajaya between February 22 and 26, 2016.
Both of them are charged under Section 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of no less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction. – The Vibes, June 24, 2022
