KINI ROUNDUP | Here are the key headlines you may have missed yesterday, in brief.

AG hires top legal eagles

Senior lawyer Sulaiman Abdullah has been appointed as the lead prosecutor in the government's criminal breach of trust (CBT) case against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak involving SRC International funds, while another lawyer, Gopal Sri Ram, will draft charges on 1MDB-linked cases.

Najib criticised Putrajaya for appointing Petron - which is linked to one of the prime minister’s sons - as one of three fuel providers for the government, calling it a “moral conflict”.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng asks if his predecessor, Najib, or former treasurer-general Mohd Irwan Serigar was responsible for the government’s failure to ensure that the Tax Refund Fund (TBBC) had enough money.

Police have recorded Lim’s statement over claims of impropriety in the previous administration’s failure to honour the tax refunds.

CJ probes ‘judicial meddling’

Chief Justice Richard Malanjum revealed that an internal probe on alleged interference in the judiciary is currently underway.

Lawyers representing former spy chief Hasanah Abdul Hamid and seven others have warned the MACC to stop making public statements regarding their client or be prepared for a defamation suit. 

Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai has affirmed that he had received a letter from the prime minister which spelled out his appointment as a special envoy to China. 

Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah had earlier said in an interview denying the appointment, but apparently the interview was done before he was aware of the specifics of Tan's role.

Other KiniBites

Sarawak Report, the publisher of a book which chronicles its editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown’s work on 1MDB, has been threatened with legal suit by a British law firm specialising in protecting reputations.

A straw poll of Chinese voters in Balakong suggested that MCA’s “check-and-balance” tagline is not working. Polling day for the by-election is on Sept 8.

Looking ahead

Putrajaya’s Bumiputera Economic Congress takes place today at KLCC with speakers including Mahathir, Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, in the evening, a Malay rights rally organised by Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman will take place in his constituency.