CJ heads bench hearing Najib's bid for new evidence in SRC case

PUTRAJAYA: Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and four other judges are hearing Datuk Seri Najib Razak's application to adduce additional evidence in his SRC International Sdn Bhd case to nullify the trial that saw him sentenced to 12 years' jail and a fine of RM210 million.

Justice Tengku Maimun is heading a five-member Federal Court bench during the proceedings which began at 9.48 am today.

The other judges are Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judges Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan, Datuk Mary Lim Thiam Suan and Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah.

Today, the court is scheduled to hear first Najib's application to adduce new evidence in the SRC case in his bid to ultimately seek a retrial.

The additional evidence Najib is seeking to adduce relates to the recent discovery that the trial judge Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali in 2006 was the general counsel and company secretary for Maybank Group, who had the ultimate overall responsibility for the management and administration of all legal departments within the entire group.

If Najib fails in this application, the Federal Court is expected to proceed with the hearing of Najib's appeal against his conviction and sentence imposed on him by the then High Court Judge Mohd Nazlan on July 28, 2020.

Najib, 69, is represented by lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, Liew Teck Huat and M. Rueben, while the prosecution is led by ad hoc prosecutor Datuk V. Sithambaram, who is assisted by deputy public prosecutors Donald Joseph Franklin, Sulaiman Kho Kheng Fuei, Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul and Manjira Vasudevan.

-- BERNAMA