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THE ongoing trial of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, related to the alleged embezzlement of RM2.3 billion from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), was adjourned today after a crucial defence witness could not be located to testify.
Najib’s lawyer, Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin, informed the High Court that the defence had planned to call Brian Chia Hock Gee, a former partner at Wong & Partners, as the 10th defence witness. Wong & Partners had previously served as a legal advisor to 1MDB, Bernama reported.
Chia was originally included in the prosecution's list of witnesses, and his statements were recorded.
However, he was never called to testify during the prosecution's case. Afterward, he was offered to the defence. Despite numerous attempts to contact Chia since January, the defence has been unable to reach him. Wan Azwan Aiman stated that even the prosecution had been unsuccessful in locating the witness.
The defence lawyer explained that efforts to contact other lawyers within the legal community had also proven fruitless, with no one able to provide Chia’s whereabouts.
With Chia being the only scheduled witness for today, the defence requested that the trial be postponed until the following morning.
In response, Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah inquired about the steps the defence would take if the witness remains untraceable. Wan Azwan Aiman confirmed that they would proceed with other witnesses, but emphasized that it is the responsibility of the prosecution to make every effort to ensure Chia’s availability for questioning.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar acknowledged that Chia had been offered by the prosecution as a witness and pledged to do everything possible to locate him.
Justice Sequerah then granted the adjournment and ordered the proceedings to resume the next morning.
Najib, 71, faces 25 charges, including four counts of abuse of power related to the receipt of RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds as bribes, as well as 21 counts of money laundering. The charges stem from the alleged misappropriation of billions from the sovereign wealth fund. On October 30 last year, Judge Sequerah ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to require Najib to enter his defence.
During the proceedings today, a senior officer from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) testified that a 2015 investigation trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, regarding the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal was little more than a “cut-and-paste” operation, with no genuine investigative effort.
MACC senior assistant superintendent Nasharudin Amir, who was part of the team sent to Riyadh, stated that the trip, which took place between November 27 and November 29, 2015, was essentially a pre-planned excursion.
The purpose was to verify the authenticity of four donation letters addressed to Najib, but Nasharudin expressed dissatisfaction with the process, claiming that the team’s interaction with an individual identified as Prince Saud Abdulaziz bin Majid Al Saud was superficial and unsubstantiated.
Nasharudin, according to The Star, served as the investigating officer for the case, testified that he was never formally introduced to the person believed to be Prince Saud and had no opportunity to examine his passport or verify his identity.
Despite this, the team proceeded to record a statement from the individual, which Nasharudin later confirmed he was not satisfied with.
When cross-examined by Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib, Nasharudin agreed with the suggestion that the statements provided by the Saudi representatives were prepared in advance and simply inserted into the MACC’s official format without proper scrutiny.
The witness acknowledged that the team’s efforts seemed more focused on “cutting and pasting” information rather than conducting a thorough investigation.
The hearing is set to resume on February 24 before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah. - February 21,2025