Final appeal hearing scheduled to begin for ex-PM Najib’s 1MDB-linked conviction
Former prime minister Najib Razak speaking at the Selangor Barisan Nasional convention on Jul 31, 2022. (Photo: Facebook/Najib Razak)
PUTRAJAYA: The hearing for a final appeal to overturn a graft conviction for former prime minister Najib Razak is scheduled to begin at Malaysia’s Federal Court on Monday (Aug 15).
Back in July 2020, Najib was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million (US$47.27 million), following a guilty verdict in his corruption trial involving millions of ringgit from former 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd (SRC).
According to Malaysian media reports, the Federal Court is expected to hear an application by Najib on Monday morning to introduce new evidence and seek a retrial.
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The Federal Court had set aside nine days from Aug 15 to Aug 19 as well as Aug 23 to Aug 26, to hear the appeal.
Last month, Najib discharged his lead defence lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. He appointed another law firm, Messrs Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners, to represent him in the appeal.
This was after the Kuala Lumpur High Court rejected an application by British Queen’s Counsel Jonathan Laidlaw to be admitted to the Bar to represent Najib in his final appeal.
In its brief decision, the court said that there were no novel, complex and serious issues in the appeal that would require the Queen Counsel's participation.
The High Court had on Jul 28, 2020 found Najib guilty of misappropriating SRC International funds.
The charges against Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, involved the transfer of RM42 million from former 1MDB unit SRC International into his personal bank accounts in 2014 and 2015.
He was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million after he was found guilty on three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering and one count of abuse of power by the High Court.
The conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal on Dec 8, 2021 when the three-judge panel unanimously dismissed Najib’s appeal against the High Court’s decision.
In 2018, after the Najib-led Barisan Nasional (BN) government was ousted in the 14th general election, then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who was serving a second stint in the country’s top office, called for investigations on the 1MDB scandal to be reopened.
Najib is also facing several other charges in court that are linked to 1MDB.
