KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) audit tampering trial at the high court here, which was initially set to resume hearing today, has been adjourned to August 26.
This is due to a clash with the former prime minister’s SRC International Sdn Bhd ongoing final appeal at the Federal Court in Putrajaya.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustafa P. Kunyalam was quoted by Free Malaysia Today as saying he had received a letter from the deputy high court registrar yesterday notifying that an application by Najib’s counsel to vacate today’s hearing has been allowed.
Messrs Shafee & Co, the law firm representing Najib, had written to the court two days ago seeking the adjournment.
Mustafa was also reported to have said that the court had added October 21, 25, and 28 as new dates for the hearing, on top of September 2, which was fixed earlier.
According to FMT, Najib’s defence team was supposed to cross-examine Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigating officer Haniff Lami and former 1MDB chief investigating officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy today.
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 action taken against him.
Arul Kanda, 45, is a co-accused in the case and was charged with abetting the former prime minister in making the amendments to the report.
Both of them were charged under Section 23 (1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission 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, August 18, 2022
