KUALA LUMPUR: The Court of Appeal will hear Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s application to hear fresh evidence relating to his SRC International Sdn Bhd corruption case on Tuesday.
Checks at the Judiciary Department’s website revealed that the three-panel judges will hear it on Dec 7, a day before the verdict of Najib’s appeal against his conviction and sentence for misappropriating SRC International funds is to be handed down.
Najib had appealed against the High Court’s verdict which found him guilty of misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International funds.
Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah during a press conference yesterday said they had filed an application pleading for the Court of Appeal to hear new evidence relating to the case.
“The very nature of recent revelations by key agencies and personalities such as former Attorney General (Tan Sri Tommy Thomas) created a situation that cannot be left ignored or unanswered in defence of my client in all the charges against him,” he was quoted as saying.
Shafee said the defence hoped to call Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Datuk Seri Azam Baki and MACC investigating officer Rosli Hussein to provide further evidence in relation to former Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz’s role in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal and her relationship with fugitive financier Low Taek Jho @ Jho Low.
Shafee said additional evidence adduced from the witnesses would be necessary in the interest of justice for his client.
Najib claimed that such information was not available or could not be obtained during his SRC trial at the High Court and when the Court of Appeal previously heard the appeal.
Shafee claimed the information recently disclosed was of material relevance to his client’s defence and appeared to have been suppressed from the defence.
The High Court convicted Najib over all the seven charges of criminal breach of trust, power abuse, money laundering, in relation to SRC International’s RM42 million.
He was subsequently sentenced to 12 years jail and fined RM210 million after being found guilty of all charges.
Source: New Straits Times
