PUTRAJAYA, Dec 26 — Court proceedings in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial were briefly paused today after the High Court adjourned, three hours into the reading of its judgment, to allow for Friday prayers.

Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, the Federal Court judge who previously presided over the 1MDB trial at the High Court, told a packed courtroom at around 11.35am that he needed another hour and a half to complete reading his findings.

Sequerah had started reading the court’s verdict when proceedings began around 9.25am at the Palace of Justice here.

Sequerah also ordered for Najib — the accused — to be brought back to court for proceedings to resume at 3pm sharp.

Najib remained stoic as he sat in the dock throughout the proceedings, while his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor was seated behind him.

In this case, Najib is alleged to have misused his position in the government and 1MDB to obtain RM2.22 billion for himself, and to have laundered money by receiving, spending and transferring funds belonging to the company.

Under the four charges of abuse of power, Najib is accused of using his three positions — as prime minister, finance minister and chairman of 1MDB’s board of advisers — to obtain financial benefits totalling RM2.22 billion for himself.

He also faces 21 charges of allegedly laundering said illicit funds through his personal AmIslamic Bank account.

If the High Court finds Najib guilty, the 72-year-old former prime minister will be facing jail time and hefty fines.

If the High Court finds that the prosecution has not proven Najib’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt, he will be acquitted and freed from the charges.

Regardless of the outcome, the decision will not affect Najib’s current imprisonment.

This is because he is currently serving a jail sentence in a separate case involving the misappropriation of RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.

Najib is now about halfway through his six-year jail term, which will end in August 2028 or August 2029, depending on whether he pays the RM50 million fine imposed in the SRC case.