THE Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered Najib Razak to stop talking about his ongoing trial over SRC International loans on Facebook until it has heard his lawyer’s submission on Monday.

Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali told the former prime minister to cease all Facebook posts on the case or be held in contempt of court.

The court will hear submissions from Najib’s lawyers on the accused comments on his RM3.3 million credit card bill in 2014 that was discussed in court proceedings this week.

Earlier today, Attorney-General Tommy Thomas had demanded that Najib apologise for his Facebook posts which were deemed inappropriate as they were sub judice.

Najib’s defence lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah in response asked the judge for an extension so that he can provide an insightful submission to aid the judge in his decision on the matter.

“We need the time for a comprehensive submission. I don’t want to give a “knee-jerk” submission.

“I also want to confer with my client and get more information on this,” he told Nazlan.

Shafee then went in the offensive, telling the court his client was compelled to present his case on Facebook as the media was practising “selective reporting”.

“The media is reporting one side and not the whole picture.

“His main reason for making the statement is that the former premier felt that there has been unfair coverage by the media,” he said, adding that Najib was also protecting his political career against negative press.

Thomas rebutted with the argument that Najib’s political career was irrelevant as he is an accused in the eyes of the court.

“There is no different standard for a politician. The problem is, he has not ceased to think of himself as a politician.

“There is no use to criticise the media as they are writing versions of the court proceedings from the viewpoint of the prosecution. It is now the prosecution’s version of the trial.

“The accused, if and when he takes the stand, can give his version of events,” he said.

Nazlan allowed the defence’s submission on Monday, but he warned Najib not to post anything on Facebook in regards to the ongoing trial in the interim.

“Any more postings before this would be considered in contempt,” he said.

The former prime minister had commented an AmBank official’s testimony on Monday, who had provided evidence that a credit card in Najib’s name was used to purchase €750,000 or RM3.3 million of goods in De Grisogono, a Swiss luxury jeweller, in Italy. 

Najib took to Facebook to explain that he had bought gifts for an unnamed royal person and her entourage.

“Their family and entourage were with us in our family’s visit to Italy then,” he said. – July 18, 2019.