THE Kuala Lumpur High Court set next Monday to hear an application by Najib Razak’s lawyers for a court order to compel a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer to be interviewed before appearing as a trial witness.

MACC assistant commissioner Mohd Nasharudin Amir, who was an investigating officer in the SRC International case, would be the seventh defence witness.

Defence lawyers informed the court today that Nasharudin had refused to participate in a pre-trial interview on Saturday.

Lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had submitted that the court had the power to compel the witness to be interviewed by the accused’s lawyers.

Shafee said it would be negligent to allow Nasharudin to testify without first interviewing him as he might turn out to be a “kamikaze witness” who could “destroy” the defence’s case.  

Attorney-General Tommy Thomas argued the witness had the right to his own lawyer.

“The witness doesn’t want to be interviewed. This is a situation where My Lord may say the witness may appoint a lawyer of his own and submit on his behalf. He has his own rights outside of the prosecution’s and defence’s interests,” he told the court.

Presiding judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali will hear next Monday the defence’s application to interview the witness.

MACC senior investigating officer Rosli Hussain, who is the 57th and final prosecution witness, was present and seated in the public gallery.

Next week will also see Australian handwriting expert Steven Strach testify at the trial.

Meanwhile, defence counsel Harvinderjit Singh informed the court that the last defence witness would be Rosman Abdullah, group managing director of construction firm Putrajaya Perdana Bhd.

Najib and his alleged enablers are accused of funnelling hundreds of millions of ringgit from SRC International through subsidiaries owned by the company.

Beyond this month, no further hearing dates have been set for the SRC International trial.

However, hearing dates may be vacated from Najib’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd trial – set to run from March until October – to allow the SRC International trial to resume.

Upon the conclusion of Rosman’s testimony, lawyers from both sides will present their final submissions before justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.

The judge will rule at a later date on whether to convict or exonerate Najib of the criminal charges. – February 17, 2020.