Judge warns Najib's 1MDB lawyers, no more delay in questioning witnesses

High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah today warned Najib Razak’s 1MDB defence team that the court would no longer allow the reserved cross-examination of witnesses as the trial had been pending for some time now. 

The judge said this when counsel Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed asked to reserve cross-examine the 40th prosecution witness, former AmInvestment Bank managing director Kok Tuck Cheong, as lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah was not in court.

Wan Aizuddin told the court that Shafee had another case before judicial commissioner Azhar Abdul Hamid. 

Senior deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram objected to the request.

"My Lord, the prosecution cannot call new witnesses because three witnesses are still on the witness stand. We have witnesses that have been stacked up.  
 
"We all have to adjust ourselves. I have pending trials and I have asked the judge to vacate the trial, we are also making adjustments," said Sri Ram.

Sequerah then said that in the future, if Shafee could not conduct the cross-examination, Wan Aizuddin would have to do it.

"You cannot go beyond that. This trial by instalments, over and over again, with witness reserves, I have accommodated as much as I can. From now on, if Shafee cannot do the cross-examination, you (Wan Aizuddin) have to step up. 

"You all (Shafee & Co) have a big team and you (Wan Aizuddin) are more than capable of doing it as you are familiar with the facts of the case. This is how the trial will be run from now onwards. In the future, if Shafee is not available (and no one to do cross), I will take it as cross-examination is done and continue with re-examination," said the judge.

Wan Aizuddin said he would inform Shafee of the matter and act accordingly. 

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

The hearing continues at 2.30pm.