THE prevailing assumption of the Federal Court that Najib Razak was only changing his lawyers to stall proceedings is totally wrong, Zaid Ibrahim today.

Zaid said Najib believed that the judges’ assumption was that the reorganisation of his legal team “was part of a tactical ploy and a ruse to stifle and stall proceedings so as to avoid or delay the final judgment and sentence to be passed on him for political reasons.”

“I regret that despite the best efforts of lead counsel and the lawyers in my team, both (in) Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, we have not been able to dispel this sad misconception,” he said in a statement today.

The former law minister said his firm accepted the brief to represent Najib because they thought the case required a new approach and fresh perspectives.

This included abandoning “unnecessary vitriol and attacks” on judge Nazlan Ghazali who had presided over the trial.

“Instead, we were intent on focusing strictly on the legal and factual issues surrounding the case, concentrating especially on the issues of bias and conflict of interests,” said Zaid.

Zaid said that from an objective analysis of the facts of the case, the evidence was overwhelmingly in Najib’s favour.

He also said that he was in agreement with Najib’s decision to discharge Zaid’s firm as solicitors in the SRC International corruption appeal.

He however said it would not stop him from pursuing what he believed was true.

Zaid said Najib’s decision this morning was made with his agreement and full support.

“This morning, lead counsel, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, informed the Federal Court that my law firm has been discharged.”

“I confirm that this decision was made by Najib with my full support and agreement.”

“As I understand it, Najib’s decision was prompted by his belief that his lawyers could not serve any useful purpose to him in the ongoing hearing relating to the appeals in the Federal Court,” said the former Umno man.

“I will always remain true to my unshakeable core beliefs. I will always fight for justice, whether for the ordinary man or for the King. In doing so, I will also want to ensure that justice is not only done but also seen to be done,” he added.

This morning, lead defence counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik informed the five-member bench that Najib had discharged the members of his legal team from Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners.

Zaid Ibrahim, Liew Teck Huat and Rueben Mathiavarnam, who were part of Najib’s legal team, were not in court.

Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat nonetheless ordered the hearing to proceed, with deputy public prosecutor V. Sithambaram resuming his oral submissions against Najib’s appeal.

Zaid also explained that as the lawyer who was asked to assist Najib, he had seen materials and papers that the fresh evidence that Najib was seeking to admit would have had a nuclear effect on the issue of Justice Nazlan’s conflict of interest and apparent bias in being the trial judge.

“The fact that Najib may have just been seeking justice appears to have been uncharitably disregarded.”

Nonetheless, Zaid affirmed that he would never abandon Najib despite being sacked from the Pekan MP’s legal team. 

“I stand by my earlier statement that my firm will never abandon our client, or any other client. That is neither our culture nor tradition. The exigencies of the current exceptional circumstances and situation impel us to be mindful of the needs of the client.

“The client’s interest is paramount. I wish Najib the very best. I will always be there to help him in any situation, as a lawyer and a friend,” he said.

This is the second time Najib has fired his legal team since the start of the SRC International trial.

On July 25, he dropped lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and the rest of his defence team who had appeared for him at the High Court and Court of Appeal trials. 

Yesterday, the Federal Court denied Teh’s request to discharge himself from representing Najib in his final appeal.

Tengku Maimun said the court had the discretion to deny the request.

On July 28, 2020, the High Court sentenced Najib to 12 years in prison and fined him RM210 million for criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power.

The conviction and sentence were later upheld by the Court of Appeal. – August 19, 2022.