FORMER prime minister Najib Razak’s 1MDB audit report tampering trial has been adjourned to tomorrow pending the results of a Covid-19 test on a member of the defence team.

Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan allowed the application after lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said he too had been tested after close contact with lawyer Rahmat Mazlan.

Shafee informed the court before today’s proceedings that he and Rahmat worked on the murder trial of the late Cradle Fund CEO Nazrin Hassan at the Shah Alam High Court on Friday.

The 67-year-old lawyer said Rahmat was also working with him on an application to recuse lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram from the 1MDB audit trial.

“I thought he was a little under the weather, but between 4am and 5am this morning he informed me that he would not turn up today because he’s got a high fever and is coughing.

“I immediately texted him and arranged for a doctor to see him in the morning,” said Shafee, adding that the test results would only be known by 10am tomorrow.

Shafee said today’s test is the sixth Covid-19 test he has taken so far, after other close contacts with suspected carriers.

Meanwhile, Zaini rejected another application by Shafee to adjourn the trial pending the outcome of a hearing to recuse Sri Ram.

“I am aware that recusal applications must be disposed of first, but I am not aware that the same argument applies to an application of this nature.

“Having done nine days, if we allowed the application, we would have wasted nine days. I am inclined to proceed with the trial.”

The trial was last heard on January 15.

Seven prosecution witnesses have testified so far, including former auditor-general Ambrin Buang and former chief secretary to the government Ali Hamsa.

In March, Shafee obtained permission to postpone a seperate !MDB trial after close contact with his sister-in-law, a possible Covid-19 carrier, at a kenduri.

She had, in turn, come into contact with a Sirim Bhd secretary confirmed to have been infected with the virus.

Najib is accused of using his position to remove parts of the auditor-general’s final audit report on 1MDB between February 22 and 26, 2016, at the Prime Minister’s Department before it was tabled to the Public Accounts Committee, to protect himself from criminal action.

Former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy is also on trial for abetting Najib. – June 15, 2020.