THE Federal Court today rejected Najib Razak’s application to postpone the appeal hearing of his SRC International Sdn Bhd case. 

The hearing in the Federal Court will proceed as scheduled from August 15 to 26. 

The decision to reject the postponement was made after case management at the Federal Court today.

Najib’s defence team made the application to postpone the appeal hearing as he is now being represented by a new team.

It was announced earlier this week that Najib had appointed a new defence team led by former law minister Zaid Ibrahim to represent him in his SRC International appeal at the Federal Court.

In a letter to the Federal Court, his former lawyers from Shafee & Co informed the court that Najib had discharged them and appointed Zaid Ibrahim Suffian TH Liew & Partners as his new solicitors. 

Senior lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik will be leading the appeal. Hisyam is also currently the lead counsel in the corruption case of Umno president Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is facing 47 charges of corruption involving Yayasan Akalbudi.

Najib, who is Pekan MP, had also filed an application to adduce fresh evidence in his appeal hearing. 

The additional evidence relates to trial judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali’s alleged conflict of interest, as he served as a general counsel and company secretary of Maybank Group in 2006, which Najib claims presents a real danger of bias. 

On July 28, 2020, the High Court sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail and fined him RM210 million after he was found guilty by Nazlan of seven charges involving SRC International funds. 

The seven charges included one count of abuse of power involving Retirement Fund (Inc)’s RM4 billion loan to SRC, three counts of criminal breach of trust involving RM42 million, and three counts of money laundering.

The Court of Appeal on December 8, 2021, upheld the High Court’s decision. – July 29, 2022.