PRIME Minister Najib Razak may be called in as a witness in the RM90 million defamation suit by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang against Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown.

Najib may be called by either the Islamist party or Rewcastle-Brown to have his statement recorded in the trial, said former PAS lawyer Mohamed Hanipa Maidin.

“Yes, Najib has the potential to become a witness in the suit and may be called to give a statement, and may also be subjected to cross-examination,“ said the Sepang MP, who is now with Amanah.

On April 21, PAS filed the suit against Rewcastle-Brown at the London High Court over an article published by Sarawak Report in August last year, which alleged that RM90 million had been transferred into the accounts of the PAS leadership.

The report alleged this was done to draw support from PAS for Barisan Nasional and Umno.

Hanipa said based on his experience practising law in the UK, the cross-examination process could take days and the jury system was used for trials there.

As such, there was no need for PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan to ask former Bar Council chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan to reveal her source of information.

Ambiga was cited by Rewcastle-Brown, in her statement of defence and counter-claim, as the source of information regarding the alleged RM90 million transfer.

The Sarawak Report editor said she had spoken with Ambiga regarding Najib, 1Malaysia Development Berhad and PAS in July last year.

“Ambiga can give her statement in court and she does not need to provide any further explanation here,” Hanipa said.

PAS today urged Ambiga to explain how she came to be the source to Rewcastle-Brown regarding the alleged transfer. – November 1, 2017.