News by Timothy Achariam

Today, deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Mustaffa P Kunyalam is expected to finish Mohd Hazem’s reexamination before senior DPP Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram starts asking the witness several questions

This was due to the fact that KPMG had found out that Najib, as 1MDB’s shareholder, was aware of 1MDB’s bogus investments in Brazen Sky Ltd, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands by Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), Mohd Hazem told the court during Najib's 1MDB-Tanore graft trial.

Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had used part of the US$3 billion raised by 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) — initially intended for the development of the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) — to acquire land in Ayer Itam, Penang as part of Umno’s campaigning leading up to the 2013 General Elections (GE13), the High Court heard today. According to former 1MDB chief executive officer Mohd Hazem Abdul Rahman, who is currently testifying as the 10th prosecution witness in the 1MDB-Tanore trial, the land was to be utilised to build an affordable housing development.

Last week, Najib’s lawyer Tan Sri Shafee Abdullah said that 24 pages out of the over 100 pages containing Mohd Hazem's witness statement were hearsay and should be inadmissible in court.

Justice Sequerah made his ruling today after two and a half hours of submissions from both parties.

High Court judge Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali also found the former premier not to be remorseful over the charges he (Najib) is facing.

The DAP secretary-general claimed that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was unprofessional for leaking the information that he will be facing new charges to the press before he was notified on the matter.

The two charges under Section 403 of the Penal Code are for dishonest misappropriation of property.

Lead defence counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah insisted today that the court should rule on the allegation that Mohd Hazem's witness statement was hearsay. He cited a case law which ruled that issues of hearsay must be dealt with by the judge when they arise and not at the end of the case.

1MDB's former CEO Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, who has been a witness in the trial since last year, is coming to the tail end of his cross-examination today by Najib’s defence team, led by Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.