Najib's graft case incomparable with ordinary sodomy case, says Sulaiman

KUALA LUMPUR: The charges faced by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic) cannot be compared with an ordinary sodomy charge, said Datuk Sulaiman Abdullah.

The lead prosecutor in Najib's criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering charges said the trial will depend heavily on documents.

"We have got an enormous amount of documents. You cannot compare an ordinary sodomy case with a situation where an accused is charged with 'sodomising' the entire nation.

"We haven't charged a former prime minister before, nor for that amount of money involved. It all depends on bank transfers, documents, documents and documents," he told reporters after Najib's case mention at the High Court here on Thursday (Oct 4).

The case mention earlier erupted into a war of words between Sulaiman and Najib's lead counsel Tan Sri Dr Muhammad Shafee Abdullah after the latter raised an issue where the documents served were in a CD and not in hard copy.

Dr Muhammad Shafee also said the documents in the CD could not be read, and that he had offered to foot the cost for the hard copy of the documents.

"There is nothing sinister about us. What we can do, we do.

"This government has no money, thanks to his client, and on top of it, they want to cause more expense to the nation," Sulaiman.

During the case mention, Sulaiman also objected to an application by Dr Muhammad Shafee for Sulaiman to produce his letter of appointment by the Attorney General's Chambers.

"The whole idea in having a legal profession is everybody trusts each other, interact with each other on the basis of civility.

"I'm not asking him to produce his (Dr Muhammad Shafee) practising certificate. Next thing he will ask for the judge to produce his appointment letter," Sulaiman said.