News by Timothy Achariam

Replying to defence lawyer Tan Sri Shafee Abdullah, Shahrol said he trusted Jho Low because he believed the financier had absolute access to then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.

Former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi had told the High court today what PITA stood for after he was asked by defence lawyer Tan Sri Shafee Abdullah.

On Mahathir’s behalf, lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla is also seeking to invalidate the position of current Bersatu Secretary-General Datuk Sri Hamzah Zainudin. He is also seeking an investigation into the wrongful dismissal of former Secretary-General Datuk Marzuki Yahya without consulting the chairman of the party, which he claims is still Mahathir.

"We did not do a background check on him (Ong) as he was appointed by Najib," the witness said in reply to Najib's lawyer Tan Sri Shafee Abdullah during cross-examination.

Lead Deputy Public Prosecutor in the trial, Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, said he intends to initiate the proceedings because an article quoting Najib in March contained serious allegations.

Riza, who is the stepson of the accused, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, will be added to the witness list.

He is currently under temporary surrender to the US government after the US Department of Justice requested for his extradition in order to charge him over 1MDB-related offences there.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah left the Parliament today mere minutes after concluding his opening address at the inauguration of the latest Parliament term.

This particular parliamentary sitting is different as no media outlets, save for official media, are allowed to cover proceedings from inside the Dewan Rakyat due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

"In view of the fact that Parliament has decided on the SOP to allow the May 18 sitting to proceed, and given that many activities are now allowed to commence with conditions, there is no reason for Parliament not to sit for more than the one day that was announced," the leaders of Pakatan Harapan, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) said in a joint statement.