Prosecution wraps up submissions in SRC appeal, nothing from Najib's team

The prosecution today wrapped up its submissions in Najib Razak’s SRC International appeal at the Federal Court in Putrajaya.

Ad hoc prosecutor V Sithambaram ended his submissions at 4pm before the five-member bench led by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat. 

Tengku Maimun then fixed Aug 23 to continue the appeal hearing.

At this juncture, Najib’s lead counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik stood up and said, "I will not make any submissions."

Tengku Maimun: Not even oral?

Hisyam: Not even oral.

Tengku Maimun: Never mind. We will wait. We will come on Tuesday (Aug 23) and deal with the matter. You have three days (Saturday, Sunday and Monday). Don’t tell us that you are not prepared to submit on any of the 94 grounds in the petition of appeal. It is all right if you are not ready to file written submissions. You can always submit orally.

Hisyam: I’m not making submissions.

Tengku Maimun: It is your liberty. You are the counsel on record. We will see on Tuesday.

Before the prosecution wrapped up its submissions, Hisyam asked the court to postpone the hearing to Thursday (Aug 25) as he had other cases on Tuesday and Wednesday.

But Tengku Maimun reiterated that no adjournments would be allowed in this appeal.

"We will proceed as scheduled," she said.

Today was the second day that the panel, which also comprised Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judges Nallini Pathmanathan, Mary Lim Thiam Suan and Mohamad Zabidin Mohd, heard Najib’s final appeal to quash his conviction and sentence.

Yesterday, the court dismissed Hisyam's application to recuse himself from representing Najib and ordered the prosecution to submit.

On July 28, 2020, then High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Ghazali, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, sentenced Najib to 12 years' jail and fined him RM210 million after finding him guilty of misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds. 

Last year, the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court's decision and dismissed Najib’s appeal to set aside his conviction and jail sentence as well as the fine.