1MDB audit report trial postponed as Najib’s lawyer still in London

Najib Razak and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy’s audit tampering hearing scheduled for today at the Kuala Lumpur High Court has been postponed to March 28 as the former prime minister’s lead counsel is currently not in the country.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustafa P Kunyalam, who confirmed the matter, said Muhammad Shafee Abdullah would only be back from London tomorrow, after which he would have to quarantine himself for five days.

He said the trial dates this week were also vacated as Arul Kanda’s counsel N Sivananthan had other court matters to attend to.

“The trial will resume on March 28,” he said after today’s proceedings, conducted before High Court deputy registrar Catherine Nicholas.

It was reported that Shafee had gone to London to meet a prospective Queen’s Counsel (QC) to represent Najib in his appeal to quash his conviction and sentence in the RM42 million SRC International case.

When the hearing resumes, former 1MDB chairman Mohd Bakke Salleh, 67, is expected to continue with his testimony.

Najib, 68, is charged with using his position to order amendments to the final 1MDB audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee to avoid any action against him, while Arul Kanda, 45, is charged with abetting Najib in making the amendments to the report to protect Najib from being subjected to action.

The offence was allegedly committed at the Prime Minister’s Department Complex, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya, between Feb 22 and 26, 2016.

They were charged under Section 23 (1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.