Kuala Lumpur: The prosecution in Najib Razak’s 1MDB corruption trial has closed its case after calling 50 witnesses.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib, who is leading the prosecution team, said it would offer 49 witnesses to Najib, should the former prime minister be directed to enter his defence.
“We are informing the court that the prosecution is closing the case that started in 2019,” he said.
Akram said the prosecution had taken a total of 235 days to present its entire case.
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His trial began in the High Court on Aug 28, 2019.
In his opening statement, then lead prosecutor, the late Gopal Sri Ram, told the court Najib used his position as the prime minister, the finance minister, and the chairman of 1MDB’s board of advisers “to exert influence over the board of 1MDB to carry out certain abnormal transactions with undue haste”.
“An elaborate charade was employed. It was acted out in four phases in which several characters played a part.
“His objective was to enrich himself,” Sri Ram said.
He said fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, was an important character in the charade.
The prosecution said it would establish facts, giving rise to an irresistible inference that Low and Najib acted as one at all times.
Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah said following the case was a “challenge” because of its length.
He instructed the parties to file their written submissions by July 26, and to put in their replies by Aug 8.
Oral submissions will be held over four days from Aug 19.
Sequerah also allocated an additional eight days in September to allow the parties additional time to complete their oral submissions, if necessary.
He will have to rule whether the prosecution has proven a prima facie case, and if so, will call for Najib to enter his defence.
Najib is facing 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering involving alleged 1MDB funds of RM2.28 billion deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.
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