NAJIB Razak’s SRC International Sdn Bhd trial is delayed today as prosecution and defence lawyers are appealing against a judge’s decision to start the 1Malaysia Development Bhd trial on August 19.

The lawyers are at the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya, applying against high court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah’s decision on the 1MDB hearing start date. Both sides want the SRC International trial to conclude first.

Sequerah, on July 18, rejected the prosecution’s request to postpone the 1MDB trial, and fixed August 19 for it to commence.

Former prime minister Najib, in his SRC International trial, faces three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power.

The charges are in relation to RM4 billion in loans that the entity received from a government agency in 2011 and 2012. The trial began on April 3, and will continue until August 15.

In an unprecedented move, both the prosecution and defence filed notices of appeal against the 1MDB trial start date a day after Sequerah made the decision.

The 1MDB hearing is set to run until November 14.

Najib has been slapped with 25 charges of money-laundering and abuse of power over RM2.28 billion in 1MDB funds deposited into his AmBank account between February 2011 and December 2014. – August 5, 2019.