Najib's lawyer down with Covid-19, 1MDB trial vacated

One of Najib Abdul Razak's lawyers tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday, leading to the former prime minister's RM2.27 billion 1MDB corruption trial being vacated to tomorrow.

Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah this morning allowed the postponement bid by lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Shafee said the postponement was needed as co-counsel Umi Nafesah Mohd Noor contracted Covid-19 yesterday, and that the lawyer had earlier joined meetings with Shafee as well as the rest of Najib's legal team.

The veteran counsel said the situation is further compounded by another of Najib's lawyers, Genevieve Bridie Vannisingham, also testing positive for the disease last Thursday.

Shafee explained that he and other members of Najib's legal team would take Covid-19 testing later today to ascertain whether they have been infected by the virus.

Shafee pointed out that Najib was down with Covid-19 earlier last week as well and that the accused is still convalescing after testing negative.

"I have been instructed that, as Your Honour is fully aware, my client contracted Covid-19 recently, with the last day of quarantine on Friday last week.

"My client informed me this morning and communicated to me yesterday that he does not feel 100 percent (healthy) and he requires today (for the trial to be vacated) for him to rest, with Your Honor’s consideration, and perhaps start tomorrow morning," Shafee said.

When Sequerah asked deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar, he said they had no objections to the postponement bid.

The criminal court then vacated proceedings and for it to resume tomorrow.

The media reported that Najib was warded at Kuala Lumpur Hospital last week due to Covid-19 and was discharged yesterday.

Power abuse, money laundering charges

Najib, who is also a former finance minister, faces four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.27 billion from 1MDB, a sovereign wealth fund fully owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc).

For the four abuse of power charges, the former Pekan MP is alleged to have committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch in Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur, between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014.

On the 21 money laundering counts, the accused is purported to have committed the offences at the same bank between March 22 and Aug 30, 2013.

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