IT is up to the courts decide whether to allow Najib Razak’s trial this Wednesday to be broadcast live, as requested by several quarters, said deputy law minister Hanipa Maidin.

“I hope they will apply so that the court can decide.

“If the prosecutor doesn’t object, it will be easier but the applicant has to justify to the court why they want to televise the proceedings.

“Maybe the court will ask the application to be accompanied by an affidavit, but I don’t want to speak too early,” he said today.

Hanipa, who is Sepang MP, was responding to a question on whether the government was open to broadcasting Najib’s trial, which starts on Wednesday.

Over the weekend, Najib had said he was open to the idea of broadcasting the trial for the sake of transparency.

After a series of delays and postponements, Najib’s SRC International Sdn Bhd case is set to kick off in two days after it was initially scheduled to be held from February 12 until this Friday.

The trial was postponed twice by the Court of Appeal, on February 11 and last Thursday, following appeals by the defence.

Najib was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust and one charge of abuse of his position over SRC International funds amounting to RM42 million on July 4 last year.

He was also charged with three counts of money laundering involving the same sum in August .

Najib has claimed trial to all the charges. – April 1, 2019.