COMMENT | Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s review of his SRC International case at the Federal Court has been relegated as a secondary issue with the sideshow of two senior lawyers sparring - in the courthouse and outside - threatening to overwhelm Malaysians’ interest.

During yesterday’s apex court hearing of Najib’s review application to quash his guilty verdict as well as a 12-year jail term and RM210 million fine, lead defence counsel Muhammed Shafee Abdullah denied there was a conspiracy between him and the former prime minister’s previous lawyers from law firm Zaid Ibrahim Sufian TH Liew & Partners to delay the final appeal in the SRC case before the Federal Court last year.

He had this to say about Najib’s previous lawyers: “There was a very acrimonious exchange of letters (between Shafee and the other law firm) on the manner in which my client (Najib) was not told the truth.

“Zaid & Co (the other law firm) never did...