Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 6): The 1Malaysia Development Bhd-Tanore (1MDB-Tanore) trial could not proceed on Thursday (Oct 6) as former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s lead lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, was unwell.

A member of Shafee’s legal team, Alaistair Brandah Norman, informed the High Court that Shafee had been issued a medical certificate (MC) by a doctor for Thursday to Sunday.

“He has been taken ill and and he’s down with fever and severe throat infection, which hampers him from cross-examining the witnesses today (Thursday, Oct 6) ,” Alaistair told judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.  

Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustafa P Kunyalam had no objection to adjourning the trial for the day.

“We have no objection. We want Shafee to be back in full force and full form to continue the cross-examination,” he said.

Najib was present in court, and Shafee was supposed to cross-examine former AmBank managing director Cheah Tek Kuang.

The next date for the trial is next Tuesday (Oct 11), but Alaistair informed the court that Shafee would not be available on that day as he has to attend the long-standing Repco Low case.

On Wednesday, Shafee would have to attend the hearing for leave (permission) before High Court judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid with regards to Najib’s application for a judicial review of the Prisons Department's decision to not grant him permission to attend parliamentary sessions.

“That would take up an hour. We would be done by 10-10.30am,” he said, suggesting that the 1MDB-Tanore hearing could start after that.

However, Mustafa objected to the postponement and told the judge that the 1MDB-Tanore trial should go on.

Sequerah was in agreement with Mustafa and asked for the trial to continue on Tuesday with new witnesses, and said that Cheah could be cross-examined by Shafee when the senior lawyer is available.

“We have to continue with new witnesses.... I appreciate [that] he (Shafee) has commitments, but this trial is being delayed for so long.

“We cannot be waiting for this court, that court and other courts. We have a commitment to finish this trial,” the judge said.

Najib is charged in the 1MDB-Tanore trial with four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion of 1MDB funds.

The Edge is covering the trial live here.

Users of The Edge Markets app may tap here to access the live report.

Edited ByS Kanagaraju
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