18-9-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) Former Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak made a striking appearance in court yesterday, arriving in a wheelchair for the ongoing 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) fund misappropriation trial. The 71-year-old politician, who has been at the centre of one of Malaysia’s most high-profile corruption cases, was reportedly hospitalised last week due to acute knee inflammation.
Najib, dressed in a brown suit, managed to walk slowly inside the courtroom with the assistance of a cane, demonstrating his determination to attend the proceedings despite his physical discomfort. In a show of consideration, High Court Judge Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah granted the defence’s request to allow Najib to sit outside the dock on a chair, enabling him to stretch his legs during the final arguments of the case.
The former premier’s legal team, led by counsel Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin, presented their closing arguments, focusing on Najib’s involvement in the acquisition of an independent power plant (IPP). The defence contended that Najib’s endorsement of the acquisition came significantly later than the initial proposal by other 1MDB board members, arguing that this timeline discredits the notion that Najib orchestrated the scheme for personal gain.
“The conception of acquiring Tanjong Energy IPP predated Najib’s approval by three months, as evidenced by the minutes of representatives and shareholder’s special resolution,” Wan Azwan Aiman stated. He further cited testimony from former 1MDB CEO Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, who had described the acquisition as a strategic opportunity for 1MDB to enter Malaysia’s energy sector under government management.
In addressing the second charge against Najib, the defence argued that the prosecution had failed to produce concrete evidence linking Najib’s positions as prime minister, finance minister, and chairman of the 1MDB board of advisers to the alleged misappropriation of over RM90 million from 1MDB funds for personal use.
Wan Azwan Aiman emphasised, “Despite variations in timing and subject matter, the prosecution’s evidence consistently fails to implicate Najib in the alleged misconduct. No witness, including former 1MDB executives, has testified that their actions were intended to benefit Najib personally.”
The trial, which has captivated the nation and international observers alike, sees Najib facing a total of 25 charges. These include four counts of abusing his position to obtain RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds between February 2011 and December 2014, and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount between March and August 2013. All charges are related to transactions at AmIslamic Bank Bhd’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch.
