MUHAMMAD Shafee Abdullah, lead counsel for Najib Razak, today said he did not know why several lawyers had decided to quit the former prime minister’s legal team in the SRC International case.

The prominent Umno lawyer said the lawyers who left specialised in different areas of the law and that they had separate contracts with the client.

“Najib is the client. I don’t know the full arrangement. We work together when we need to,” Shafee said during a break in proceedings at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.

The Malaysian Insight reported today that several lawyers on the defence team, including former solicitor-general Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden and Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, would no longer represent Najib in the trial.

The lawyers known to be on Yusof’s team are Chong Loong Men, Devanandan S. Subramaniam and Tiara Katrina Fuad.

The Malaysian Insight is trying to get a response from the lawyers.

Najib previously had a dozen lawyers led by Shafee. 

A member of the legal team told The Malaysian Insight, that the remaining lawyers are engaged in the technical aspects of the case until final submission.

Shafee told reporters today that reasons for the lawyers’ departure are a matter of privilege between them and their client, Najib.

“I think they are engaged on the basis of certain things that they need to do,” Shafee said.

“I’m sure they are still doing something (related to the case), but for appearance purposes, maybe not. I don’t know.” 

“So, we don’t know the real arrangement. Unless they are part of my team, I don’t want to know (the reasons why they left).” 

In the ongoing SRC International trial, the prosecution’s case is entering its final leg, with one witness yet to be called before both sides present their final submissions, which are expected by August 16.

Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali will then decide whether there is a prima facie case against Najib.

If that is established, Najib will be asked to enter his defence, after which the trial enters its second phase, when the defence will call its witnesses to the stand.

Najib’s seven charges are 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 accounts in 2014 and 2015. 

The 66-year-old faces up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted. – August 8, 2019.