Lawyers go on quarantine, Najib’s 1MDB trial put off

KUALA LUMPUR: Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial could not proceed at the High Court here today after members of the defence team went into self-quarantine for Covid-19.

Lead lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said a member of the defence team had come into close contact with some suspected Covid-19 cases.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib said the hearing will resume from May 17 to May 20.

“The defence sent the letter (seeking a postponement) on Friday evening. The team is taking precautions and will be tested,” he said.

Previously, the lawyers had been told to self-quarantine last year after they came into close contact with a suspected patient.

Najib faces 25 charges of money laundering and abuse of power over alleged 1MDB funds amounting to RM2.28 billion deposited in his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

Meanwhile, the hearing of the former prime minister’s appeal against his conviction and sentence in the SRC International corruption case has also been vacated to another date yet to be fixed.

His lawyers were supposed to wrap up their replies to the prosecution submissions on Thursday.

Najib is appealing against his conviction for abusing his power by giving government guarantees on SRC International’s RM4 billion loan from Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP).

He was also found guilty of three counts of money laundering and three counts of criminal breach of trust in the transfer of RM42 million to his accounts from the former 1MDB unit.

He was sentenced to 12 years jail and fined RM210 million. The sentence and fine were stayed pending Najib’s appeal. — Free Malaysia Today