THE hearing of UK-based King’s Counsel Jonathan Laidlaw’s appeal to be admitted as an advocate and solicitor to represent Najib Razak in his SRC International Sdn Bhd (SRC) case, which was scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed.

In a letter sighted by Bernama, Federal Court deputy registrar Mahyun Yusof informed the parties involved that the court allowed Laidlaw’s lawyer’s request to postpone the hearing.

She notified the parties that case management is fixed for March 22. 

The Federal Court initially set Wednesday to hear Laidlaw’s appeal as well as applications by the public prosecutor and three others to strike Laidlaw’s bid. 

The court had also set the same day to hear the public prosecutor’s application to intervene in Laidlaw’s appeal. 

Malaysian Bar member Annemarie Pravina Vendargon, when contacted by Bernama, said the postponement was granted following a request by Laidlaw’s counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah to await the Federal Court’s decision on Najib’s SRC International review bid.

She said the Bar told the court it does not see the need for Laidlaw’s appeal to be postponed, and that it is prepared to proceed on Wednesday. 

Laidlaw filed the appeal after the High Court rejected his application to be admitted as an advocate and solicitor on July 21 last year. 

The public prosecutor, who was not named as a respondent in Laidlaw’s appeal, subsequently filed an intervening application to be included as the fourth respondent in his appeal, as the office said it is a party in the proceedings at the High Court, but was unilaterally dropped in the appeal. 

In a notice of motion filed on November 18 last year, the public prosecutor sought to strike Laidlaw’s appeal on grounds the appeal is academic, is an abuse of process, and is unsustainable. 

The Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Malaysian Bar, and the Kuala Lumpur Bar Committee, who were named as respondents in Laidlaw’s appeal, have filed their respective applications to strike Laidlaw’s appeal. 

On October 12 last year, Shafee, who is also representing Najib, said Laidlaw would represent the former prime minister in the rehearing of his (Najib’s) appeal if his review application was allowed by the Federal Court.

Najib, 69, is serving a 12-year jail sentence after the Federal Court upheld his conviction, jail sentence and a RM210 million fine for misappropriation of RM42 million of SRC International funds on August 23 last year.

The Federal Court set March 31 for a decision on Najib’s review application. – Bernama, March 13, 2023.