SRC trial: Court to hear Najib's appeal tomorrow

KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 — Tomorrow, the Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s appeal against his conviction and jail sentence for misappropriation of RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.

It is Najib’s first appeal after the Kuala Lumpur High Court, on July 28, last year, sentenced the former premier to 12 years’ jail and fined him RM210 million after finding him guilty on seven charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), money laundering and abuse of position, involving RM42 million of SRC funds.

Apart from April 5, the court also fixed April 6 to 8, 12 to 15 and April 19 to 22 to hear the appeal.

Najib has submitted 307 grounds in his petition of appeal on why he should be cleared of the charges.

Among the grounds mentioned in the petition is that he had failed to get a fair and just trial in the case.

On July 28, last year High Court Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali sentenced Najib to 10 years’ jail on each of the three counts of CBT and each of the three counts of money laundering, and 12 years' jail and a RM210 million fine, in default five years’ jail, in the case of abuse of position.

However, he will only serve 12 years in jail as the judge ordered all the jail sentences to run concurrently.

Najib, 67, is currently out on bail of RM2 million in two sureties pending appeal. 

Tomorrow, a total of 21 reporters from local and international media, will be given passes to follow the proceedings via a video link in a room. — Bernama