Najib to engage Queen’s Counsel

PUTRAJAYA: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be seeking the help of a Queen’s Counsel from the United Kingdom to argue his appeal against his conviction, 12-year jail sentence and RM210mil fine for the SRC International Sdn Bhd case in the Federal Court.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Andrin Kamarul said Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah conveyed the matter to Federal Court registrar Siti Hajar Mustaffa during online proceedings yesterday.

“The defence will write a letter to the Federal Court by Tuesday (today) on their intention to apply for a Queen’s Counsel from the UK to attend and argue for Najib’s appeal. The court has fixed Jan 28 for next case management to determine the next step for the appeal,” he told reporters here, according to Bernama.

A Queen’s Counsel appointment will be on an ad-hoc basis after obtaining admission from the Malaysian court.

The court also fixed March 15 and 16 to hear Najib’s appeal to adduce new evidence.

On Dec 7 last year, the Court of Appeal dismissed Najib’s application to adduce new evidence in his appeal by ruling that he had failed to cumulatively satisfy Section 61 of the Courts of Judicature Act that fresh evidence was required for justice in the case.

On the next day, the same court upheld the conviction, 12-year jail term and RM210mil fine on Najib for misappropriating RM42mil in SRC funds.

Justice Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, who led a three-member bench comprising Justices Has Zanah Mehat and Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, dismissed Najib’s appeal against the KL High Court decision on July 28, 2020.

On the same day, Najib, 69, filed a notice of appeal to the Federal Court.