Day 38: Court in stitches after Shahrol declares he can testify 'from 9am-6pm'

LIVE | The criminal trial of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak involving the alleged abuse of power and money laundering of 1MDB funds enters its 38th day today at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysiakini brings you live reports of the proceedings.

The defence team today may continue to cross-examine ninth prosecution witness Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi over the fourth phase of the RM2.28 billion 1MDB abuse of power and money laundering case against Najib Abdul Razak.

These are among the lines of questioning that lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah may adopt against former 1MDB CEO Shahrol on the 38th day of former prime minister Najib’s trial over five counts of abuse of power and money laundering involving RM2.28 billion from 1MDB.

Near the end of proceedings yesterday, Shafee cross-examined Shahrol in relation to the fourth phase of the alleged 1MDB timeline beginning from 2012, namely the sovereign wealth fund’s purchase of 49 percent equity in PSOSL, a subsidiary of Petrosaudi International (PSI).

According to Shahrol’s 270-page witness statement, 1MDB entered into the equity deal with PSOSL following 1MDB terminating its Murabaha agreement with PSI in 2012.

The fourth phase of the 1MDB matter is stated in Page 249 of Shahrol’s witness statement.

During yesterday’s proceedings, Shahrol testified that he was made a scapegoat in relation to the multi-billion ringgit scandal involving 1MDB.

In the early part of the trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday, judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah and Shafee had engaged in a heated exchange over whether to allow more lawyers into court to assist Shafee in the proceedings.

The judge made the sarcastic remark that the trial might as well be held in the Selayang market if more lawyers are allowed into the courtroom and disrupt social distancing as part of Covid-19 pandemic prevention.

Only three lawyers from each side are allowed in at any one time during the trial, in line with the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the court.

Shafee had responded with his claim that he is unable to perform his job as lawyer properly with the restrictions and thus may need to quit acting for Najib in the trial if leeway is not allowed for more defence lawyers to be in court and assist him.

After proceedings adjourned around midday yesterday, Shafee and a member of the prosecution were set to meet Chief Judge of the High Court of Malaya Azahar Mohamed over whether restrictions over the number of lawyers and DPPs in court can be lessened to allow both parties to carry out their duties properly in the 1MDB trial.

During yesterday’s proceedings, Shahrol also testified that the 1MDB board did not check the background of one of the fund’s directors, Ong Gim Huat, because then prime minister Najib wanted Ong to be appointed and had exercised his (Najib) power under the fund’s articles of association to do so.

According to a report by online business news portal The Edge, Ong was not only a friend but also a business partner of Larry Low, the father of 1MDB-linked businessperson Jho Low.

The trial before Sequerah resume around 9.30am today...