CHIEF Justice Tengku Maimum Tuan Mat is among other top judges who will hear former prime minister Najib Razak’s bid to introduce fresh evidence in his appeal to set aside his corruption conviction.

Najib’s appeal against his conviction in connection with RM42 million of SRC International funds is being heard in the Federal Court.

Along with Tengku Maimum, the other judges hearing Najib’s appeal are Court of Appeal president Rohana Yusuf, Chief Judge of Malaya Azahar Mohamed, Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and senior Federal Court judge Mohd Zawawi Salleh.

The Court of Appeal last year affirmed the High Court’s decision in July 2020 to convict Najib of seven charges over the RM42 million funds that entered his personal accounts.

The appellate court also upheld Najib’s 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine.

The Pekan MP, who is out on bail, wants to adduce fresh evidence from Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki and SRC International investigating officer Rosli Hussein or others deemed fit by the court.

Previously, in December 2021, the Court of Appeal dismissed Najib’s application to include fresh evidence, saying it was “not necessary”.

However, in his latest application, Najib said all issues raised in the High Court and Court of Appeal had not been fully determined and that it was within the interest of justice that he obtained a fair trial by producing all evidence.

He said the MACC had, on November 19, 2019, confirmed that RM65 million in 1MDB-linked funds were recovered from Cutting Edge Industries, a company in Singapore controlled by Tawfiq Ayman, the husband of former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, and his business partner, Samuel Goh.

It was reported earlier this year that another Singapore-based company, Iron Rhapsody, owned by Tawfiq and his son, received a total of RM66 million from companies and bank accounts linked to fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low. 

Singapore police were also reported to have informed BNM in 2015 and 2016 of these suspicious transactions involving companies owned by Tawfiq, with the funds coming from accounts linked to Low. Zeti was the BNM governor at the time. – March 15, 2022.