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PUTRAJAYA – The Federal Court has set three days starting January 19 to hear Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s review application of his conviction, 12-year jail sentence and fine for misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.
Federal Court deputy registrars, Wan Fatimah Zahara Wan Yussoff and Siti Hajar Mustaffa, who heard the case management today fixed January 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 December 2 for another case management for the review.
Meanwhile, Ashrof said both the prosecution and defence would have to file their respective submissions by January 4.
The case management proceeding conducted online was attended by Najib’s lawyers Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Farhan, Syafiqah Sofian and Wan Arfan Wan Othman while deputy public prosecutors Datuk V. Sithambaram and Ashrof appeared for the prosecution.
The 69-year-old former prime minister is currently serving a 12-year imprisonment term in Kajang Prison after he lost his final appeal in the Federal Court to set aside his conviction, sentence and a fine of RM210 million on August 23, this year.
Najib, through Messrs Shafee & Co, filed his application on September 6, this year, seeking to review the Federal Court’s verdict in affirming his conviction, sentence and fine.
In his review application, Najib wants the court to review the Federal Court’s decision made on August 16 in dismissing his bid to adduce further evidence relating to Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, the trial judge in his SRC International case.
On July 28, 2020, Justice Mohd Nazlan found him guilty on seven charges – three criminal breach of trust charges, three money-laundering charges and one abuse of power charge.
Nazlan, then a high court judge, had sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail and fined him RM210 million in default five years’ imprisonment, a decision upheld by the Court of Appeal on December 8, last year.
Najib wants his appeal to be reheard by a new Federal Court panel consisting of at least seven judges and that he be given a stay of execution of his jail sentence pending the hearing of his review application.
The prosecution filed an affidavit in response, through Ashrof, stating that Najib’s review application had no merit and was an abuse of court process.
In the affidavit, Ashrof said Najib was given a fair trial and there was no pre-judgment on his appeal at the Federal Court. – Bernama, October 21, 2022