KUALA LUMPUR: The standard operating procedure (SOP) for open court hearings, implemented because of the Covid-19 pandemic, appears to rankle both the prosecution and the defence in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial as the presiding judge refused to ease the rules.
Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah (pic), who has been requesting the court since yesterday to allow more lawyers on his team to be present, said he could not function as counsel to Datuk Seri Najib Razak under the current restrictive circumstances.
Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah said he was abiding by the SOP for the safety of those present and not because he wanted to be difficult about it.