PUTRAJAYA: It was a marathon affair at the High Court for the decision in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) graft trial.
And it was a long and tense day for all involved.
While the crowds gathered as early as 6.30am, the proceedings themselves began bright and early at 9.25am. But it was ultimately about 12 hours later when the court was finally adjourned for the day.
Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah himself took five hours to read his judgment and finished at 5pm after several breaks, including for Friday prayers. The judge needed to stop and sip on some water as he read the lengthy judgment.
It could have taken much longer if he had read in full the judgment in the case that had now spanned seven years.
“I will be reading only the broad grounds of judgment,” he said when he started reading.
“The full grounds will be made available in due course.”
In reading the judgment, Justice Sequerah found no merit in the former prime minister’s defence that the funds were a political donation from the Saudi royal family.
ALSO READ: Najib gets a total of 165 years
“This is an unbelievable tale and a tale that surpassed even those from the Arabian Nights and a concoction bereft of any credibility.
“At the time, the party headed by the accused was Umno, Malaysia’s largest political party, with roots dating back to 1946. It is inconceivable that a person in the position of Prime Minister would not maintain proper accounting records for an organised party supposedly receiving such significant sums,” he said.
“There is also no evidence of any formal acknowledgment by the government or any political party to the purported donor, nor by the accused himself. The alleged Arab donation letter was addressed to the accused’s private residence rather than to any official or party address,” the judge noted.
Justice Sequerah also found an “unequivocal nexus” between the former prime minister and fugitive financier Low Taek Jho (Jho Low).
“The 15th prosecution witness, former 1MDB chairman Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh, testified that Jho Low acted as a conduit between the board and the accused, with management taking instructions outside the board,” he said.
He said former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi had also testified that Jho Low had acted as the principal orchestrator of 1MDB projects on Najib’s behalf.
After Justice Sequerah, who is currently a Federal Court judge, finally finished reading his judgment, the court allowed a 30-minute break before mitigation began.
However, the break only came after the judge and Najib’s defence team locked horns.
Najib’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had sought a brief pause to confirm certain matters with his client but Justice Sequerah pressed on, saying no new instructions could be entertained.
He directed the defence to proceed with mitigation before sentencing.
“All that is left is mitigation. I do not understand what further instructions are required,” the judge said.
Shafee, visibly taken aback, reiterated that the defence was only seeking a short adjournment to read specific points to his client.
The exchange grew tense, with the defence maintaining it was a brief request, while the judge questioned what differentiated the case from others before the court.
After a brief back-and-forth, Justice Sequerah said there had been a misunderstanding, explaining that he initially thought the defence was seeking a new date for mitigation.
“I apologise. I thought you were asking for another date,” the judge said, before ordering the 30-minute stand-down.
