THE High Court has postponed the trial of former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak for his RM27 mil SRC International Sdn Bhd money laundering case. Initially scheduled for September, the trial will now begin on April 21, 2025.
Justice K Muniandy announced the new trial date following a request from Najib’s defence team led by lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
The defence cited scheduling conflicts due to Najib’s ongoing legal battles including the high-profile 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) corruption trial and a civil lawsuit filed by SRC International against him.
“For the SRC International civil case, my client will give evidence when the hearing resumes,” Shafee stated.
Originally, the case before Justice Muniandy was slated for hearings from Sept 17 to 19 and Sept 23 to 24. However, the defence argued for a delay, noting the complexity and volume of Najib’s concurrent legal challenges.
Deputy public prosecutor Ashrof Adrin Kamarul informed the court that the prosecution did not object to the defences request for postponement. He confirmed that all related trial documents and witness statements had been served to the defence team.
Moreover, Ashrof noted that the attorney-general had not yet reached a decision on Najib’s applications for a review of the three money laundering charges, saying, “As of now, it is status quo.”
These three charges, initially filed against Najib in February 2019, were the first in a series of legal actions against the former premier. They were followed by a separate case involving seven charges of abuse of power, money laundering, and criminal breach of trust concerning RM42 mil from SRC International. This case commenced on April 3, 2019.
On July 28, 2020, Najib was convicted of all seven charges by the High Court. His subsequent appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on Dec 8, 2021. Najib is currently serving a reduced six-year prison sentence after the Federal Court dismissed his final appeal on Aug 23, 2022. – July 31, 2024
Main photo credit: Bloomberg
