KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 ― The High Court today scheduled next January and February for the continuation of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s ongoing criminal and corruption trial on the RM42 million losses from SRC International Sdn Bhd.
The SRC trial dates for 2020 are now set for January 6-9, 20-23, February 3-5, 10-13, 17 and 24-27.
The dates chosen were previously set for the start of Najib’s joint trial with former Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah over six criminal breach of trust (CBT) charges involving RM6.64 billion.
The case is also known as the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) trial, which is part of the larger 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.
High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali presides over both the SRC and IPIC trials and made the decision during case management this morning.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Jamal Aripin told the court he was instructed to ask the court for priority to be given to the SRC case, and for the IPIC trial to start after the first case ends.
Jamal also told the court that a similar IPIC case is ongoing at the High Court in London and the prosecution hoped to avoid duplication.
Last month, the Court of Appeal in London allowed the Malaysian government’s bid to challenge the settlement between the previous Barisan Nasional government and UAE-owed IPIC and Aabar Investments PJS (Aabar PJS) to be heard in open court.
Mohd Nazlan also fixed February 27 as mention to set the new IPIC trial dates.
Najib, who was represented by lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and Irwan by Datuk K. Kumaraendran did not object to the prosecution's request.
On October 25 last year, Najib and Irwan pleaded not guilty to the six counts of CBT where they were jointly charged in their capacity as the finance minister and the Treasury secretary-general.
On the first count, they were jointly charged in their capacity as finance minister and Treasury secretary-general respectively, and entrusted with the dominion of RM1.2 billion belonging to the Malaysian government, with committing CBT on the fund.
On the second count, Najib and Mohd Irwan were jointly charged with committing CBT of RM655 million belonging to the Malaysian government which was entrusted to them.
On the third count, they were jointly charged, in their capacity as public servants and holding the same post, with committing CBT of RM220 million belonging to the Malaysian government in the Federal Consolidated Fund under the “Belanja Mengurus di bawah Maksud B11 Perkhidmatan Am Perbendaharaan, Aktiviti 021700 KL International Airport Berhad (KLIAB)” that were entrusted to them.
The two men were also jointly accused of committing CBT of RM1.3 billion that were entrusted to them Federal Consolidated Fund under “Maksud B11 Perkhidmatan Am Perbendaharaan, Aktiviti 020500 Subsidi Dan Bantuan Tunai”, belonging to the Government of Malaysia.
On the fifth and sixth charges, they allegedly committed CBT of CNY1,950,000,000 (RM1.26 billion) and RM2 billion, respectively, belonging to the government.
