KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has failed in his bid to postpone his RM2.28 billion 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) corruption trial after the Court of Appeal dismissed his stay application today.
This means that the proceedings will take place before the high court here next week.
The three-person appellate bench, chaired by Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail along with Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Datuk SM Komathy Suppiah, ruled unanimously that there were no special circumstances that justify a stay on the 1MDB trial.
The decision comes in lieu of Najib’s appeal to recuse the presiding judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah from presiding over the trial.
The High Court judge had, last week, initially dismissed Najib’s application to recuse him over his former working relationship with former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo Ai Swan.
He also explained that there had been no communication between them since Loo left the firm 15 years ago adding further there was no nexus between issues being put out this trial and the past relationship between him and his former partner in legal practice.
During Najib’s ongoing trial for allegedly misappropriating RM2.3 billion from 1MDB, Loo’s name was heavily mentioned including being among among the proxies working with fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low to misappropriate millions of ringgit from the sovereign fund.
Following the decision, defence counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah reportedly said he had received instructions from Najib to file a fresh application at the Federal Court to stay the 1MDB trial.
Najib is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totaling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount. – August 25, 2023