THE Kuala Lumpur High Court has adjourned to April 3 a hearing on Muhammad Shafee Abdullah’s application to recuse Gopal Sri Ram as lead prosecutor in his money laundering case.

The hearing scheduled for today was postponed after the Court of Appeal ruled this morning on Najib Razak’s four interlocutory appeals related to the SRC International trial.

The appellate court allowed an appeal by the former prime minister to compel the prosecution to show the appointment letter of Sulaiman Abdullah as fiat prosecutor in that case.

Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah allowed today’s adjournment after Shafee’s lawyers said they require the higher court’s grounds of judgment, which they are using for their arguments against Sri Ram’s appointment.

Shafee’s lead counsel Harvinderjit Singh also said more time is needed due to lengthy submissions by the prosecution and defence teams.

Deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar did not object to the adjournment.

Sequerah said, however, that the hearing will proceed on April 3 regardless of whether the Court of Appeal’s judgment is finalised.

The Court of Appeal panel, led by Justice Zabariah Mohd Yusof, unanimously ruled against Attorney-General Tommy Thomas’ contention that the appointment letter can remain classified as part of client-solicitor privilege under Section 126 of the Evidence Act.

Thomas made similar arguments in refusing to release Sri Ram’s appointment letter for the 1Malaysia Development Bhd corruption case against Najib.

Shafee was charged in September with four counts of money laundering involving RM9.5 million that he allegedly received from Najib.

Shafee had applied in the Sessions Court to disqualify Sri Ram on grounds that he was currently representing PKR president Anwar Ibrahim at the Court of Appeal in relation to the same RM9.5 million.

On August 31, last year, Thomas announced the appointment of Sri Ram as senior deputy public prosecutor to assist with 1MDB-linked cases.

Meanwhile, Sequerah also approved the temporary release of Shafee’s passport for work related travel to Sabah and Australia between March 22 and April 5. Prosecutors did not object. – March 21, 2019.