Court sets 3 days to hear Najib's bid for review of SRC conviction

The Federal Court has set three days from Jan 19 to hear Najib Razak's review application for his conviction, 12-year jail sentence and fine for misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds.

Federal Court deputy registrars Wan Fatimah Zahara Wan Yussoff and Siti Hajar Mustaffa, who heard the case management today, fixed Jan 19, 20 and 26 for the hearing of Najib's review application.

Najib's lawyer Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee and deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul, when contacted, confirmed the hearing date.

Farhan said the court also fixed Dec 2 for another case management for the review.

Meanwhile, Ashrof said both the prosecution and defence would have to file their submissions by Jan 4.

The case management proceeding conducted online was attended by Najib's lawyers Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Farhan, Syafiqah Sofian and Wan Arfan Wan Othman, while deputy public prosecutors V Sithambaram and Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul appeared for the prosecution.

Najib is serving a 12-year jail term at Kajang Prison after losing his final appeal in the Federal Court to set aside his conviction, sentence and fine of RM210 million in the Federal Court on Aug 23.

Najib, through Messrs Shafee & Co, filed his application on Sept 6, seeking a review of the Federal Court's verdict affirming his conviction, sentence and fine.

In his review application, Najib asked the court to review the Federal Court’s decision made on Aug 16, dismissing his bid to adduce further evidence relating to Mohd Nazlan Ghazali, the trial judge in his SRC International case.

On July 28, 2020, Nazlan found him guilty of seven charges – three of criminal breach of trust, three of money laundering and one of abuse of power.
 
Nazlan, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail and fined him RM210 million in default of five years’ imprisonment. His decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal on Dec 8 last year.

Najib is seeking for his appeal to be reheard by a new Federal Court panel consisting of at least seven judges. He is also asking to be given a stay of execution for his jail sentence pending the hearing of his review application.

The prosecution, responding to Najib's affidavt, filed an affidavit through Ashrof, saying Najib's review application had no merit and was an abuse of the court process.

In the affidavit, Ashrof said Najib had been given a fair trial with no pre-judgment on his appeal at the Federal Court.