UMNO is set to hold two big meetings this Saturday, the first being a presidential briefing to leaders of all wings followed by the supreme council meeting later at night.

The meetings come just days after the party’s former president and still influential leader Najib Razak lost his final appeal in his SRC International Sdn Bhd case in the Federal Court on Tuesday.

The Umno supreme council meeting will take place at 8pm while the presidential briefing is scheduled for 2pm based on two separate invitation letters issued yesterday by Umno secretary general Ahmad Maslan.

Both meetings will take place at party headquarters at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre (WTCKL).

Party supreme council member Mohd Razlan Muhammad Rafii when contacted confirmed the second meeting.

“Yes, there is a meeting that night,” he said simply.

The invitation for the supreme council meeting did not state the meeting’s agenda, but mentioned that it would be chaired by party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

At the same time, the invitation letter for the presidential briefing said the meeting was about “current issues”. The letter was addressed to Umno supreme council members and to the exco members of the Women, Youth and Puteri wings.

Last week Umno division leaders gathered for a meeting at party headquarters, with some of them going later to Putrajaya to meet Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is also an Umno vice-president.

The agenda of the meeting, which was also attended by Zahid and Najib, had not been officially stated but leaders who attended said it was to discuss the need to hold the general elections as soon as possible.

Yesterday, Ahmad stated on social media that the president’s special briefing was also open to all Umno divisional committee members and party leaders “who wished to attend”.

In a statement yesterday, Ahmad Zahid said Umno was upset because Najib was unable to present new evidence in his final appeal, while his newly appointed lawyers were not given permission to adjourn the case. 

He added that Umno would continue to stand by Najib in facing other trials” to ensure that he received justice and was not victimized by political pressure”.

On Tuesday, a five-judge panel led by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat upheld Najib’s conviction and sentencing as imposed by the High Court and affirmed by the Court of Appeal for being guilty of breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering.

Najib was today brought to court from Kajang Prison to continue the trial of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund embezzlement case amounting to RM2.28 billion.

He faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.28 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering.

Najib also has three other cases being tried involving the crimes of corruption and breach of trust, and allegations of amending the final audit report of the country’s sovereign wealth fund company. – August 25, 2022.