FORMER prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has filed an application to introduce fresh evidence regarding fugitive Jho Low and ex-1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) counsel Jasmine Loo in his appeal against his December 2024 conviction.
The application was filed by legal firm Shafee & Co last week under Section 61 of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964 and Rule 7A of the Court of Appeal Rules 1994, local news portals reported.
In this case, “fresh evidence” is information discovered after a trial concludes, and it would likely have a decisive impact on the verdict.
For the evidence to be admissible, it must meet the strict criteria from the landmark Ladd v Marshall case: it could not have been obtained with reasonable diligence during the initial trial, and it is highly credible.
Justice Collin Datuk Lawrence Sequerah had found Najib guilty of 25 counts of abuse of power and money laundering involving RM2.28bil in 1MDB funds, sentencing him to 15 years in prison and a multi-billion ringgit fine.
This sentence is set to begin in 2028, following his half-term for the SRC International case. The Court of Appeal is awaiting written grounds of judgement before scheduling the hearing.
In January 2024, the Federal Territories Pardons Board reduced Najib’s sentence in the SRC case by halving his jail term and lowering his fine to RM50mil. His current sentence is scheduled to end on Aug 23, 2028.
In April, it was announced that Najib had permanently withdrawn his court appeal for house arrest regarding his SRC International conviction.
His legal firm, Shafee & Co, filed a Notice of Discontinuance on April 2, which the Court of Appeal officially struck out on April 14 without stating a reason.
Meanwhile, Malaysian police are investigating unverified claims that fugitive financier Jho Low secretly returned to Kuala Lumpur under Chinese diplomatic protection.
An online portal reported that Low allegedly facilitated late-2025 debt negotiations between China and Malaysia, linking these secret meetings to his January US presidential pardon plea regarding the 1MDB scandal. — May 30, 2026
