Najib 1MDB case: Defence closes case
PUTRAJAYA: The defence in former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's case involving the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion belonging to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) closed its case today after calling 26 witnesses.
Lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, representing the former premier, informed the court after calling the defence's final witness, a forensic document examiner from PHA Handwriting Analysis Sdn Bhd, Tay Eue Kam, to testify.
'Yang Arif, we officially closed the case after our 26th witness today. Just for Yang Arif's information, the trial of this case began on Aug 28, 2019, while the final day of the prosecution's case was May 30, 2024. The trial lasted 233 days and involved 50 witnesses.
'On Oct 30, 2024, the court ordered Datuk Seri Najib to enter his defence, with the first day of the defence proceedings on Dec 2, 2024 and the last on May 6, 2025, taking a total of 58 days with 26 witnesses,' Muhammad Shafee informed the presiding judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
Justice Sequerah then set Sept 30 for both parties to submit their written submissions and nine days, beginning Oct 21, for oral submissions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Focus Malaysia
3 days ago
- Focus Malaysia
Siti Kasim: Maybe hard for PMX to gain immunity from Federal Court judging from Najib's precedent
THERE is already a precedent whereby the Federal Court had previously ruled against now incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak to be granted immunity from the extraordinary claim (civil suit) filed against the Malaysian Government by then Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua in January 2017. Premised on the common law tort of misfeasance in public office, the thrust of the claim was that Najib had committed misfeasance in public office in relation to the sovereign fund 1MDB. It was alleged that the then 10-term Pekan MP had abused his public office by personally benefitting from the receipt of monies from the 1MDB fund. Against such backdrop, human rights activist and lawyer Siti Kasim opined that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is liable for the civil suit on se*ual harassment filed against him by his former research assistant Yusoff Rawther four years ago. 'Recall that Pua lost his case at both the High Court and Appeal Court levels but the Federal Court ruled that Najib can be charged with misfeasance in public office given the PM or any minister for the matter are regarded as civil servants,' she recounted on her latest YouTube rant. 'Moreover, in my personal opinion a PM should not be exempted from any civil suit in his personal capacity … After all, the civil suit filed by Yusoff revolves around sexual assault on him prior to him having assumed his PM office.' Added the Orang Asli advocate: 'Going by the precedent set by Najib's case, Anwar can be sued on grounds that a PM doesn't enjoy immunity but it seems that Yusoff has to wait for a few more years before the hearing of his civil suit can materialise. 'He may now have to wait for the decision of the Federal Court on Anwar's immunity claim first … We can only pray that justice shall prevail for the righteous party.' PMX seeks immunity For context PMX had on yesterday (May 27) sought the Federal Court ruling if he should be granted immunity from the civil suit filed by Yusoff prior to him taking office on Nov 24, 2022. The 31-year-old grandson of the late Penang consumer advocate SM Mohamed Idris had filed his civil suit in July 2021 in which he alleged that Anwar had sexually assaulted him on Oct 2, 2018 at Anwar's residence in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur. In his countersuit, Anwar claimed that Yusoff's allegation of sexual harassment against him is unfounded as he was entertaining his family and friends at his residence. The KL High Court last year fixed the trial to be heard from June 16 to 19 and June 23 to 25. However, Yusoff found himself charged in the KL High Court on Dec 5 last year here with trafficking in 305gm of cannabis in addition to having in his possession two imitation pistols to which he pleaded not guilty. Framed under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, the drug charge which is punishable under Section 39B(2) of the same Act, provides life imprisonment and whipping of not less than 12 lashes upon conviction. 'Throughout his drug and pistol trial, Yusoff has incessantly claimed that he has been trapped and framed by people in the authority who holds grudges against him for his civil suit,' observed Siti Kasim. 'Additionally, Yusoff also filed two police reports by calling for investigation against Anwar's former political secretary Datuk Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak but the police have yet to act on the reports filed by Yusoff.' – May 28, 2025 Main image credit: SK Studio/YouTube
![[UPDATED] Na'imah to challenge MACC's second seizure of Ilham Tower](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2FIlhamtower0506_1749128477.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[UPDATED] Na'imah to challenge MACC's second seizure of Ilham Tower](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fassets%2FNST-Logo%402x.png%3Fid%3Db37a17055cb1ffea01f5&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] Na'imah to challenge MACC's second seizure of Ilham Tower
KUALA LUMPUR: Toh Puan Na'imah Abdul Khalid will challenge in court the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) second seizure of Ilham Tower. In a statement, her lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh Sohanpal described the repeated action as "pure harassment" and accused the MACC of acting beyond the bounds of the law. "This is the most ridiculous action yet taken by the MACC. The same building has already been seized, and yet it is now being seized again. Is the MACC playing musical chairs with the law?" the statement read. The lawyers also criticised the authorities for allegedly targeting Na'imah's late husband, former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, despite no corruption charges having been brought against him. "It bears repeating that, despite the prime minister and the MACC chief's repeated allegations and insinuations against Daim, no offence of corruption has been brought against him. "Now, having failed to bring any charges, they are harassing our client with a second seizure," they said. They added that the move, without any evidence of wrongdoing, violated the rule of law and amounted to persecution. Earlier, the MACC said it had been authorised to seize Ilham Tower once again, a building owned by Daim's family. The commission said it had obtained authorisation from the deputy public prosecutor. According to the MACC, the seizure was based on a Notice of Seizure of Immovable Property under Section 51(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA), dated June 4. It added that authorisation for the seizure was granted pursuant to powers conferred on the public prosecutor under Section 376(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code. Ilham Tower, located in downtown Kuala Lumpur near the Petronas Twin Towers, houses a four-star hotel, office spaces, a gallery, and other facilities. This is not the first time the MACC has seized the In December 2023, it was reported that the MACC had invoked its powers to seize ownership of the multi-million ringgit tower. Sources said the seizure period was 18 months, the longest ever obtained by the commission. It was understood that the move was part of the MACC's investigation into a corporate transaction valued at RM2.3 billion involving publicly listed Renong Bhd and United Engineers Malaysia Bhd (UEM). A news portal had reported that the seizure was linked to Daim's refusal to comply with MACC requests to declare his and his family's financial holdings. However, the MACC had previously seized various immovable properties, including land, fishing vessels, and oil tankers, as part of its investigations. The seizure notice for Ilham Tower was dated Dec 18, 2023, and published as an advertisement in several newspapers, including the New Straits Times, on Dec 21 the same year.
Malaysiakini
4 days ago
- Malaysiakini
KJ, charismatic but dangerous
YOURSAY | 'Are there no other educated and capable leaders in Umno?' Khairy's rumoured cabinet return: Reform opportunity or political gamble? Cyclonus: Khairy Jamaluddin, better known as KJ, is an impressive intellectual (or appears to be) with lots of charisma. But this is what makes him even more dangerous. The younger crowd will trust him blindly, no matter what his agenda. Amid the 1MDB scandal, he supported jailed former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak. You would think a smart guy like him could see through Najib when the rest of the civilised world could. However, KJ put loyalty to Umno and Najib above the good of all Malaysians and Malaysia. That was very disappointing and dangerous. Forget him. GreenFalcon2290: Ah, yes, KJ is known as a 'progressive and reformer'. Like Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi? Where are the voters located, urban centres or elsewhere? Are PAS voters desperate to vote for progressive, reformer candidates? How many in the Parliament are progressive and anxious to get a leader? Nice. In 2016, KJ was embroiled in a controversy surrounding a RM100 million scandal involving the Youth and Sports Ministry, where he was its minister. If the ministerial post was a certainty, would KJ make this bizarre statement that he is busy? Do you know anyone for the past 67 years who was too busy to accept a minister position? As for his remarkable qualities, they seem very common and routine for anyone working in the corporate world. Interesting? No. Milshah: Something appears to be not right. Umno should be a party where there is a good pool of educated and capable young leaders. What happened to all the educated and capable Umno leaders? I refer to another article related to the retirement age for politicians, where the young ones were supportive, but the old guard were against the idea. They (politicians) do not know when to quit and let the younger generation take over. They 'cantas' (get rid of, as in trimming a branch on a tree) potential leaders, or they do not give them opportunities to lead, as they see these young leaders as threats. I'm not talking about party central committees but division leaders as well. They want the position for life and will 'cantas' any young leaders who could take over from them. Then, when the party asks: Where are the young educated capable leaders? There is no one, comes the answer. Why? Because all of them have been 'cantas' already. FairPlay: What's so great about KJ? He is also an old wine in a new bottle, as the saying goes. He may not be as old as the others, but soon, he will fall into the group known as 'recycle'. There is no future (whatsoever) if the politics in the country keep rebranding old and recycled wine as new wine. We have 68 years of journey as a sovereign nation. Where is the nation today when compared with the tiny red dot south of the border? Headhunter: We thought he had crossed the Rubicon (point of no return) and had moved on. He is better off if he joins the likes of outgoing Economy Minister and ex-PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, who recently resigned from his minister post. They can move to or form a new party. Umno is fundamentally rotten to the core, and nothing much can be done to revive it. The entrenched old dogs will not easily or willingly give up their lucrative positions and will not give him a free rein to 'kill their golden goose'. He will be seen as a threat, as history has shown. Furthermore, his past grassroots supporters have moved on to find new pastures. Coward: KJ is already in Umno. In fact, despite his sacking from Umno in January 2023, he has remained in the party. He has his flaws, but overall, he is one of the more capable and less tainted leaders in Umno. As such, his return to the government is probably good news instead of bad. KJ is definitely one, if not the only, candidate who will be chosen by an Umno leader who has the party's future. However, other undeserving and definitely way worse candidates will likely edge him out because they have the ears of Umno leaders. Umno leaders are also those who are known to prioritise themselves over the party. Winning Scarecrow: Khairy must enhance his Islamic credentials before making a comeback. Anwar needs leaders who can help him accomplish his goal of making Malaysia a great Islamic state. Young Malaysians have indicated in surveys that they prefer to have leaders with a strong Islamic background like Anwar, newly minted PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang and other leaders from PAS. We cannot find such leaders in Umno so far, so Khairy needs to prove that he is more Islamic than PAS leaders before being accepted again by Malaysians as their leader. The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now. These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.
