[UPDATED] Najib hospitalised, 1MDB trial postponed 

KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial at the High Court here has been vacated and postponed after the former prime minister was warded at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) yesterday.  

His defence counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told high court judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah that Najib had taken ill due to issues with his blood pressure, with certain medical procedure requiring a few days to be completed. 

“They (hospital) have not said exactly the number of days, but definitely today is off. And I think it is a certainty for tomorrow as well,” he said. 

Later when sought for clarification, Shafee told the media that Najib seemed to have exhibited fluctuation in his blood pressure for “no apparent reason”, with the cause currently being investigated.

The lawyer also revealed that Najib will have to be transferred to the National Heart Institute later today. 

Judge Sequerah allowed for the postponement today, but ordered for the court to meet at 2.30pm tomorrow to obtain an update on Najib’s condition before making any further decision.

In the ongoing trial, Najib faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totaling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.

Yesterday, the high court had similarly allowed the trial to adjourn earlier at 12.30pm to allow Najib to seek medical attention, with his condition said to be “quite bad”. 

Lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram had said that he was informed by Prison Department officers that a recent change to Najib’s high blood pressure medication has had an adverse impact on the Pekan MP’s health.

Later, Najib’s daughter Nooryana Najwa revealed on Instagram that doctors at HKL had discovered multiple new stomach ulcers on her father during a scope procedure on Saturday, with a separate biopsy also causing bleeding. 

She said Najib had then requested for observation at HKL but was denied, and he was ordered to be discharged and sent back to Kajang Prison before attending court yesterday. 

Nooryana also alleged that doctors had changed his medication from the usual ones that he had been taking for years. 

However, in a statement yesterday, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said Najib was discharged after multiple tests by specialists found him to be in a clean bill of health. 

He also explained that the Umno leader was hospitalised as an elective case, and not on an emergency basis, while clarifying that the medicines prescribed during his admission were the same as the ones he had been taking previously. 

Later at night, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob instructed the Health Ministry to accord Najib with the best treatment, and prayed for his recovery.

Najib was sentenced to 12 years in prison on August 23 after the Federal Court upheld the high court’s guilty verdict for all seven charges in his SRC International Sdn Bhd corruption case. – The Vibes, September 13, 2022