Najib’s trial delayed as Shafee applies for return of passport

Bede Hong Bede Hong Updated 7 years ago · Published on 14 May 2019 10:45AM · 7 Comments

Former prime minister Najib Razak faces multiple counts of corruption in relation to RM42 million laundered through his bank accounts. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Najjua Zulkefli, May 14, 2019

TODAY’S hearing for Najib Razak’s SRC International trial was delayed by 1½ hours as the former prime minister’s lead counsel was tied up in another court matter. 

The hearing, presided over by Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, was supposed to start at 9am. By 10am, Najib, accompanied by two of his aides, left the courtroom to sit outside.

He was chatting with the aides while waiting for the case to start.

Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who is facing criminal charges over allegations that he laundered RM9.5 million, is applying for his passport to be returned next month for work-related purposes in Australia, where is he is assisting in a drug case. 

Most of Najib’s defence team is at another courtroom, before Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Colin Lawrence Sequerah, who later denied Shafee’s request to have the passport returned temporarily.

Sequerah, who deliberated after case mention today, said there is no compelling reason for Shafee to be in an Australian court as he was merely assisting.

Shafee surrendered his passport on September 13 last year, when he claimed trial to two charges of money-laundering, involving RM9.5 million he received from Najib, and two charges of making false statements to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).

Shafee, 66, allegedly received a cheque for RM4.3 million on Sept 13, 2013, and another for RM5.2 million on Feb 17, 2014.

He allegedly committed the two offences at CIMB Bank Bhd, J2 and K1, Taman Tunku, Bukit Tunku.

Shafee is also facing two charges of being involved in transactions of proceeds from unlawful activity, that is by making inaccurate statements and in contravention of paragraph 113(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 1967 for financial years ending December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2014.

He allegedly committed the offences at the Duta branch of IRB, Kompleks Pejabat Kerajaan, Jalan Tunku Abdul Halim on March 3, 2015 and June 29, 2015.

Sequerah fixed Shafee’s trial dates to July 8 to 11, July 15 to 18, this year, and March 16 to 19, March 30 to 31 and April 1 to 2, next year. Case management has been set for June 13. Former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram will be lead prosecutor and the defence will be led by Harvinderjit Singh. – May 14, 2019.

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Comments

  • Charge them for contempt of the court!

    Posted 7 years ago by Adrian Tan · Reply

  • An eye for an eye

    Posted 7 years ago by Concerned Citizen · Reply

  • Why delay again?

    Posted 7 years ago by Richard L · Reply

  • Enact a by law that no one who is being charged are allowed to appeal for return of passport until proven innocent and freed. All these low tier level of tricks should not be tolerated anymore. It is just not only a contempt of the court but a felony act to sabotage the proceedings.

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • When is the defence going to use diarrhoea, and other school boy excuses to delay the case? What happened to the saying 'justice delayed is justice denied'?

    Posted 7 years ago by Citizen Pencen · Reply

  • Gone are the days when Mr Hot Shit could manipulate the courts....

    Posted 7 years ago by J R · Reply

  • Well done Judge.

    Posted 7 years ago by Lipdah Lia · Reply