THE Kuala Lumpur High Court has set June next year to hear another trial against former prime minister Najib Razak over three money-laundering charges involving RM27 million related to SRC International Sdn Bhd.

Justice Mohd Zaini Mazlan set the trial dates for June 2 to 4, 9 to 11, 15 to 18 and 23 to 25.

Zaini also set June 21 for case management. 

Najib claimed trial at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on February 8 to three counts of receiving proceeds in three AmPrivate Banking accounts belonging to him from unlawful activity. The case was transferred to the high court three days later. 

He is alleged to have committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd, Bangunan Ambank Group, No. 55, Jalan Raja Chulan, on July 8, 2014, the charges for which comes under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001.

If convicted, he may be jailed up to five years or fined up to RM5 million or both. 

Lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the court today that Najib would likely apply to strike out the charges. 

“The three AMLA charges are valid and proper and we will address the challenge,” deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi responded. 

Shafee also commented on the prosecution’s suggestion earlier today that the trial take up only two weeks. 

“It’s because there were no predicate offences (to the charges). They were riding on the seven (other) charges (at Najib’s ongoing SRC International trial) but they were knocked out along the way because of procedural matters and now, they’re standing on their own.”
 
Zaini dismissed the suggestion, saying he did not want to delay the trial further. 

Last year, Najib had applied to strike out the seven criminal charges related to the RM42 million. A Federal Court panel, led by former chief justice Richard Malanjum, threw out his application on April 29 and ordered the trial to proceed without further delays. 

In Najib’s ongoing trial, two senior officers from AmBank and Maybank testified that RM35 million was channelled from SRC International to Putra Perdana Construction on July 8, 2014.

On the same day, a Permai Binaraya Sdn Bhd account received RM34.99 million from Putra Perdana Construction, after which RM27 million of it made its way into Najib’s AmBank account number 211-202-201188-0.  

It is this transaction that will be the focus of Najib’s second SRC International trial next year. 

The two companies were previously reported to be subsidiaries of Putrajaya Perdana Sdn Bhd, a construction and property development company once controlled by Low Taek Jho.

Neither Low nor Putrajaya Perdana were named in court.

Najib’s trial resumes on May 28. – May 17, 2019.