THE Federal Court has set March 31 to give its verdict on jailed former prime minister Najib Razak’s bid to review his conviction and sentence for misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.

The date was confirmed by Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, a member of Najib’s defence team, as well as deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul.

The Federal Court five-member bench led by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abdul Rahman Sebli – alongside Vernon Ong, Rhodzariah Bujang and Nordin Hassan and Court of Appeal judge Abu Bakar Jais – had reserved the court’s decision on February 28 after they heard submissions for six days from Najib’s lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and ad hoc deputy public prosecutor V. Sithambaram.

Throughout the six-day hearing, Shafee argued that the Federal Court bench hearing Najib’s appeal had made a fundamental error in law by not allowing the adjournment of the trial and not allowing Najib’s former counsel Hisyam Teh to discharge himself.

Meanwhile, Sithambaram submitted that there was no breach of natural justice or miscarriage of justice or abuse of the court process, because Hisyam chose not to take the opportunities presented to him to appeal on the pretext that he was not prepared.

On August 23, 2022, Najib began a 12-year prison sentence after losing his final appeal against his conviction on multiple counts of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering for the misappropriation of SRC International funds.

Najib was also fined RM210 million, which he has yet to pay.

The former Pekan MP then filed for review under rule 137 of the Rules of the Federal Court 1995, in a bid to overturn the decision made by the five-member bench of the Federal Court led by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat.

On July 28, 2020, High Court Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali found him guilty of seven charges: three of criminal breach of trust, three of money laundering, and one of abuse of power.

Nazlan, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, sentenced Najib to 12 years in prison and fined him RM210 million.

This decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal on December 8, 2021. – Bernama, March 13, 2023.