Datuk Seri Najib Razak is pictured at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex February 6, 2020. — Picture by Firdaus Latif
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — The High Court today asked Datuk Seri Najib Razak to leave the courtroom where his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s bribery trial is taking place.
Sixty-six-year-old Najib, who was wearing a red short-sleeved shirt, was seen at around 10.39am entering the courtroom where the trial is being held, during the testimony of the fourth prosecution witness Shamsul Rizal Sharbini.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib then immediately stood up to inform the judge that it may not be proper for Najib to remain in the courtroom, as he was part of investigations in the bribery-for-contract case.
“I’m sorry, in this case, when investigation was carried out, Najib Razak was part of the investigation. I think there is a possibility he is a potential witness, so I don’t think it will be proper,” Ahmad Akram said.
When the judge highlighted that Najib is not on the list of prosecution witnesses, Ahmad Akram explained that Najib’s statement was recorded during investigations and that there is a possibility he could be called as a witness.
“He is not in the plan to be called, but if it happens along the way, if need be, we might have to call him,” Ahmad Akram said.
The judge then acknowledged that there is a chance that those who have been interviewed but were not included in the witness list could be called to the stand based on circumstances that arise during the course of the trial.
Ahmad Akram further noted that the prosecution had already submitted a list of proposed witnesses to the court as well as to Rosmah’s defence lawyers, but pointed out that it was clearly written as “proposed”.
He also said that it had previously been agreed for the prosecution to provide a provisional list of witnesses in the order which the prosecution proposes to call them, but that it was also expressly written that this would be “subject to availability of witnesses and addition of other witnesses”.
“My concern is that Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s statement was recorded so he is a potential witness,” he said, after highlighting the possibility of the “addition” of more witnesses.
Rosmah’s lawyer Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader then pointed out for the record that Najib was in the courtroom yesterday on the first day of Rosmah’s trial.
High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said that he had not really noticed Najib’s presence yesterday in the courtroom, but went on to request that the former prime minister leave the room.
“Datuk Seri, I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave. There is a risk of danger. I’d like to take advantage of caution. Could I ask you to leave the court please? Thank you, Datuk Seri,” the judge said.
Najib then left the courtroom at around 10.45am.
Najib was sighted briefly in Rosmah’s courtroom yesterday, which was also the same day when he was required to be present in court for his own corruption trial involving RM42 million of former 1MDB subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd’s funds.
Yesterday was the first time that Rosmah and Najib were at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex on the same day for their separate trials, which were held in two different courtrooms both on the fifth floor.
Najib was not legally required to be present in court today as the SRC trial will only resume next Monday. He also was not facing any other trials here today.
Previously, in June 2019, Rosmah’s presence in the courtroom where Najib’s SRC trial was ongoing was also objected to by the prosecution, due to concerns that she could become a potential witness as her statement had been recorded by the MACC during investigations.
Rosmah had then said that she had, as a law-abiding citizen, voluntarily left the courtroom immediately after hearing the justification and without being ordered to do so.
Earlier today, 68-year-old Rosmah had arrived in one of two black sedan cars for her trial scheduled at 10am, but this time without an ambulance in tow, unlike yesterday.
Her bribery trial had been delayed by two days, instead of the stipulated Monday commencement. Her lawyers had produced a medical certificate and medical report on her condition to explain her absence.