FORMER prime minister Najib Razak failed to turned up in court this afternoon due to recurring eye swelling, causing 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial to be adjourned to Monday.

His lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that Najib was given medical leave by the International Specialist Eye Centre.

Najib’s eye problems, which have caused trial to be adjourned twice before, was deemed by the centre to be possibly more serious than conjunctivitis, Shafee said.

“The swelling in both eyes has become worse, and the doctor suspects it to be more than just conjunctivitis,” said Shafee, adding the swelling may be an allergic reaction.

He said Najib was told by the doctor to go for more blood tests tomorrow.

There were no objections from senior deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram and presiding judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who allowed the trial to be adjourned to Monday morning.

The judge also agreed to suggestions from both sides that the trial end at 6pm next Tuesday onwards, instead of 4.30pm, to make up for lost time.

Shafee has submitted medical scans of Najib’s eyes to the court, which were viewed in chambers by himself, Sequerah and Sri Ram.

Shafee said this is to prevent the pictures from being circulated on the Internet.

Meanwhile, Sequerah set November 21 for case management to hear to the prosecution’s reply to the defence’s application for access to documents from former PetroSaudi International executive Xavier Andre Justo.

Shafee said the defence would also apply for all minutes of 1MDB meetings from 2009 to 2015, to be provided to the legal team.

The minutes will cover the issuance of Islamic medium-term notes for Terengganu Investment Authority to when investigations into 1MDB began.

Previously, the trial had been adjourned on September 11 and September 18 due to Najib’s conjunctivitis.

As the accused of a criminal trial, Najib must be present to witness the hearing.

The trial is in its 29th today, with former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, the ninth witness slated to take the stand for further cross-examination. The prosecution expects to call in 60 witnesses.

Najib, 66, is on trial for four counts of power abuse to enrich himself with RM2.3 billion from 1MDB and 21 counts of laundering the same amount. – October 31, 2019.