Decision today on bid to disqualify Sri Ram

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court will deliver its decision in an application by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Ra­­zak who is seeking to disqualify Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram (pic) from leading the prosecution in his 1Malaysia Development Bhd-related case today.

Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah fixed the date here yesterday after hearing submissions from lawyers Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdul­lah and Harvinderjit Singh, who represented Najib, and DPP Ahmad Akram Gharib who appeared for the prosecution.

Najib is applying to disqualify Sri Ram, a former Federal Court judge, who was appointed by the Attorney General’s Chambers as the senior prosecutor in the case by way of fiat (letter of authority).

In his affidavit, Najib said there was a conflict of interest with Sri Ram’s appointment in the case.

Earlier, Ahmad Akram said in his submission that the AGC could ap­point any individual including non-­lawyers in accordance with Section 376(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code as long as the individual could handle the task of a prosecutor.

He said Sri Ram’s appointment letter was privileged and it was between Sri Ram as a lawyer and the government as the client.

It is a confidential document that involves lawyer and client privilege, he said.

Muhammad Shafee questioned why the letter was considered confidential when Sri Ram’s appointment was announced to the media.

“We want to know what is so secret about the document,” he added.

On Sept 20 last year, Najib was slapped with four counts of corruption and 21 charges of money laundering involving RM2.3bil allegedly from 1MDB.

In the corruption charges under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Com­­­mission Act, Najib is accused of using his position as prime minister, finance minister and chairman of the 1MDB advisory board, to receive bribes on four occasions.

The money laundering charges include nine counts of receiving illegal proceeds, five counts of using illegal proceeds and seven counts of transferring the proceeds to other entities.