THE High Court in Kuala Lumpur today dismissed Muhammad Shafee Abdullah’s application to expunge more than half of the written witness statement of a former Inland Revenue Board (IRB) officer, in Shafee’s money laundering trial.

Judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin said there was no probability that 33 out of 51 paragraphs of Syed Nasrul Fahmi Syed Mohamad’s statement prejudiced Shafee.

“In my opinion, the 33 paragraphs in the written statement of the seventh prosecution witness are relevant to prove the third and fourth charges against the accused,” Jamil said, adding that the defence could always challenge it during cross-examination.

The judge said it is for the court to decide whether evidence is acceptable.

On September 13, 2018, Shafee pleaded not guilty to two charges of receiving RM9.5 million, allegedly the proceeds from unlawful activities, through two cheques issued by former prime minister Najib Razak and deposited into Shafee’s CIMB Bank account.

He was also charged with two counts of engaging in transactions resulting from illegal activities, namely submitting incorrect tax returns, which is in violation of paragraph 113 (1) (a) of the Income Tax Act 1967 for the financial years ending December 31, 2013, and December 31, 2014. – Bernama, February 15, 2022.