KUALA Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali will preside over the graft case involving former prime minister Najib Razak, replacing the previous judge whose partiality was called into question.

Nazlan, 51, will now take charge of the court’s criminal division (3) after justice Sophian Abd Razak was transferred to the commercial division. The transfers will take effect on August 1.

High Court deputy registrar Muzlina Mohd Jalil told The Malaysian Insight that all the case dates of Najib’s trial will proceed as usual, beginning with the mention on August 8.

Nazlan was appointed as judicial commissioner in April 2015, later taking office as a high court judge in January last year.

He was serving at the new commercial courts just before his transfer.

Lawyers had raised questions of conflicts of interest, as Sophian is the brother of Pahang Barisan Nasional assemblyman Mohd Soffi Abdul Razak.

Najib is the MP for Pekan, a former Umno president, and former Pahang menteri besar.

Najib was charged with misusing his position as a government official to receive a RM42 million bribe as an inducement to provide a sovereign guarantee on behalf of the Malaysian government for a RM4 billion loan from the Retirement Fund Inc to SRC International Sdn Bhd.

The High Court set bail at RM1 million, which he paid in two payments. He was also ordered to surrender his passports.

Najib is being represented by prominent lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, while the prosecutor is Attorney-General Tommy Thomas.

SRC International was formerly a subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd, the brainchild of Najib. – July 27, 2018.