THE Court of Appeal today rejected former prime minister Najib Razak’s bid to recuse former federal court judge Gopal Sri Ram as part of the prosecution team in the 1MDB-linked cases.

The appellate court’s three-man bench unanimously dismissed Najib’s appeal to disqualify Sri Ram from acting as ad-hoc deputy public prosecutor. 

The bench comprised Yaacob Md Sam, Abu Bakar Jais and Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali.

Najib filed an appeal against the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision on February 15, which rejected his application to disqualify Sri Ram from prosecuting the Pekan MP’s 1MDB-linked cases.

Najib had also previously filed multiple appeals at separate courts to remove Sri Ram from the prosecution team.

Sri Ram is the lead DPP in Najib’s 1MDB audit report-tampering trial and the 1MDB corruption trial.

Najib’s judicial review application to disqualify Sri Ram from prosecuting in these trials was previously rejected by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on August 28. – September 8, 2021.