Hold 1MDB trial in court, not media, Sri Ram tells Shafee

Senior deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram today warned Najib Razak’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah against conducting a trial in the media over the former prime minister's RM2.3 billion 1MDB corruption case.

The former Federal Court judge told High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah that the media statement made by Shafee yesterday amounted to an attack on the prosecution over claims that the prosecutors had suppressed evidence in the case.

"My Lord, there was a direct attack on the prosecution on behalf of the accused (Najib). He (Shafee) said that the prosecution failed to disclose the transactions. With respect, the accused must conduct his trial in court and not in the public. I cannot respond in public and is not proper for me to respond in public," he said.

He said the prosecution would have to apply to bar the defence from going to the press if they continued with such acts.

Yesterday, Shafee highlighted the inflow of funds into Najib's account in February and June 2011, amounting to about RM60.6 million (about US$20 million) from Saudi Prince Faisal Turki Al Saud.
 
The defence claimed that funds were part of a gift to Najib from the former governor of Madinah province, Saud Abdulaziz Majid Al Saud.

The senior lawyer also said the prosecution had only highlighted the two transfer transactions, but did not highlight five other transfers into Najib's account between August 2011 and August 2012 which were allegedly from Prince Turki and Riyadh's finance ministry, amounting to about US$180 million.

Shafee also included letters from the former governor addressed to Najib, stating the different sums of donations made to the former prime minister.

During today’s proceedings, Sri Ram said that the same letters were presented in the SRC International trial and that the trial judge, along with the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court, had rejected the evidence.

"If they are going to rely on the same letter in the public domain, you can't say we (the prosecution) suppressed (the information), that is not relevant," he said, adding that his case was to prove that the 1MDB funds went into the accused’s account.

Another of Najib’s lawyers, Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed, interjected, saying that the SRC International case was a different matter and had nothing to do with the current trial.

"My Lord, Shafee will address the court on this matter tomorrow morning," he said, adding that Shafee was not in court today as he was unwell.

After hearing arguments by both parties, Sequerah said the court would wait for Shafee’s reply on the matter tomorrow.

Najib, 69, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.

The trial continues this afternoon.