THE prosecution in Najib Razak’s SRC International trial have applied to postpone the 1MDB criminal trial against the former prime minister set to be held this year to allow the current case to be disposed off first.

Deputy public prosecutor Budiman Lufti Mohamed filed a motion at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today seeking the adjournment of the 1MDB trial, where Najib faces 25 criminal charges. This was case originally set to begin in August.

The SRC International trial commenced on April 3 and is scheduled to continue until August 15. 

This motion was filed following a decision by the 1MDB presiding judge, Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who ruled on Monday that the 1MDB trial must begin by August 19.

“At this stage of the SRC trial, the prosecution intends to call about 20 more witnesses, although the situation is fluid and dynamic,” said Budiman in a supporting affidavit sighted by The Malaysian Insight. 

“However, it is clear that for the purposes of trial planning, it is highly unlikely that the SRC trial will be completed by the last allotted date.”

Budiman said any postponement will not be indefinite or open ended. 

“It will only be until the SRC trial is completed before the high court with the giving of judgment. It does not have to be postponed pending any appeals.”

Budiman said the public prosecutor, who is Attorney-General Tommy Thomas, has indicated that the Attorney-General’s Chambers is willing to bring forward any trials pending in the courts that do not involve Najib before Sequerah during trial days vacated.

On Monday, Sequerah made his ruling when the 1MDB case, referred to by prosecutors as the Tanore case, came up for mention. 

The prosecution had previously asked Sequerah three times to postpone 1MDB hearing dates to make way for Najib’s SRC International trial.

Najib was slapped with 25 corruption charges in September last year involving RM2.28 billion allegedly from 1MDB.

His first four charges were under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act while the other 21 charges were under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act (AMLATFA).

For the charges under the MACC Act, Najib was accused of using his then position as prime minister, finance minister and chairman of the 1MDB advisory board, to receive bribes on four occasions.

The money-laundering charges include nine counts of receiving illegal proceeds, five counts of using illegal proceeds and seven counts of transferring the proceeds to other entities.

Najib is currently on trial in a separate court for charges linked to RM4 billion in loans issued to SRC International in 2011 and 2012, for which he is accused of receiving RM42 million in his personal accounts in 2014 and 2015.

He faces three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power. – July 10, 2019.