KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has tendered some 2,500 pages in submissions for his defence in the RM2.28bil 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) graft trial.
His lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the High Court here on Monday (Aug 19) that the massive volume was due to "overwhelming evidence", on which he said the defence could not compromise.
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"This is to show that the charges are defective, especially the four principal charges.
"The charges suffer from defects such as multiplicity and duplicity which lead to ambiguity," he said at the outset of proceedings before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
The 1MDB trial resumed Monday for submissions at the end of the prosecution's case.
The prosecution closed its case on May 30 after the trial had run for more than 200 days.
Najib, 70, is on trial for 25 charges in total: four for abuse of power that allegedly brought him financial benefit to the tune of RM2.28bil; and 21 for money laundering involving the same amount of money.
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The four counts of power abuse were framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 which provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of up to five times the amount or gratification, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
For the 21 charges of money laundering, Najib is charged under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFPUAA) 2001, which carries a maximum fine of RM5mil and imprisonment for up to five years, or both, upon conviction.
