Friday 29 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (June 5) : After five days of oral submissions, Datuk Seri Najib Razak's defence team is expected to wrap up its reply today as to the former premier's SRC International Sdn Bhd charges.
 
Yesterday it was expected to conclude. However, Najib's counsel Harvinderjit Singh could not come in the afternoon.
 
Najib's lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah in his wrap acknowledged the uphill task faced by the defence in light of the perception the former premier and finance minister had garnered regarding the case.
 
He maintained that Najib was not in the know with regard to the RM42 million in his two AmBank accounts and shifted the blame to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), former SRC chief executive officer (CEO) Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil and the bank's "rogue bankers".
 
Muhammad Shafee also claimed that the prosecution had failed to link as to how the approval of the RM4 billion loan to SRC by Retirement Fund (Incorporated) or Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) (KWAP) where Najib is accused of abuse of power is related to the RM42 million criminal breach of trust (CBT) and money laundering charge.
 
There is not even any case law where an accused person alleged of graft or abuse of power received gratification three years later, the lawyer added.
 
Ad hoc prosecutor Datuk V Sithambaram in his short reply produced a case and added that the fact Najib received the money three or four years later is actually the prosecution's case.
 
He told the court that gratification need not occur immediately.
 
Following the expected conclusion of submissions today, High Court Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali who is presiding over the trial is expected to reserve judgement and set a date to deliver the verdict.
 
The Edge is bringing the proceedings involving Malaysia's highest-ranking politician live.
 

The Edge is covering the trial live here.

Users of The Edge Markets app may tap here to access the live report.

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