[UPDATED] SRC case: Najib ditches Shafee & Co ahead of final appeal

KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has discharged Shafee & Co from representing him in the final appeal to dismiss the guilty verdict linked to the SRC International Sdn Bhd corruption case.

In a letter to the Federal Court, the firm was replaced by Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew and Partners, effective yesterday.

“On July 25, at 5pm, we received a letter from the appellant, saying he had immediately discharged Shafee & Co from representing him in the matter,” said the letter. 

It added that the firm will complete the document handover process by today.

With this, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik (of Messrs Hisyam Teh) will be appointed lead defence counsel, with Liew Teik Huat and Rueben Mathiaravanam (of Messrs Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners) to be co-counsels.

Less than a week ago, the high court here rejected UK lawyer and Queen’s Counsel Jonathan Laidlaw’s bid to be admitted before the courts for the final appeal, scheduled to be heard in the Federal Court for 10 days from August 15.

Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid ruled that Laidlaw did not satisfy the requirements for ad hoc admission under the Legal Profession Act.

In his judgement, Kamal also expressed his view that local advocates and solicitors were more than capable of handling such cases throughout all court tiers in the country.

“I concur with the honourable attorney-general, the learned deputy public prosecutor, KL Bar Committee and the Malaysian Bar that the appeal is one that can quite competently be handled by local advocates and solicitors.

“As such, the originating motion in enclosure one is hereby dismissed,” he reportedly said.

The Federal Court is set to hear Najib’s final SRC appeal over a period of 10 days from August 15 to 19, and from August 22 to 26.

The Court of Appeal last year upheld the conviction and 12-year prison sentence as well as an RM210 million fine imposed against Najib for misappropriating RM42 million in funds from SRC, a former 1Malaysia Development Bhd subsidiary.

On November 23, 2017, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim failed to sue Najib, 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and two others.

The high court found that Zaid had no locus standi in demanding the return of RM42 million from the former prime minister, 1MDB, the Malaysian government and Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz.

Zaid was ordered to pay the defendants RM4,000 each in cost. – The Vibes, July 26, 2022