Najib's review bid of SRC conviction reduced to one day

The apex court has fixed Jan 19 to hear Najib Razak's review application over his conviction, 12-year jail term and fine for the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds.

The court previously set three days, on Jan 19, 20 and 26, for the hearing of the former prime minister's review application.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul said they received an email from the Federal Court last Friday stating that the other two days had been vacated as some of the judges presiding on the panel to hear Najib's review were involved in another case which was fixed for continued hearing.

The 69-year-old former prime minister is serving a 12-year jail term at Kajang Prison after losing his final appeal at the Federal Court to set aside his conviction, sentence and fine of RM210 million in the Federal Court on Aug 23 last year.

Najib, through Messrs Shafee & Co, filed his application on Sept 6 last year, seeking a review of the Federal Court's verdict in affirming his conviction, sentence and fine.
 
Najib also asked the court to review the Federal Court’s decision on Aug 16 last year, 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 Najib 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, 2021.

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

The prosecution, in response to Najib's affidavit, filed an affidavit stating that Najib's review application had no merit and was an abuse of the court process.

They also said that Najib was given a fair trial and that there was no pre-judgment in his appeal at the Federal Court.