KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak submitted a formal request to the Prison Department seeking permission to attend the funeral of Malaysia's fifth Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who died yesterday at the age of 85 at the National Heart Institute (IJN).

Najib's lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, informed the High Court about the request during Najib's ongoing trial for the alleged misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds. The matter was raised before trial judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

"Yang Arif, my client has applied to Jabatan Penjara (Prisons Department) to attend the funeral and pay his last respects to Tun Abdullah. The entire ceremony will be held at the National Mosque, with funeral prayers scheduled to take place right after the Zohor prayers," said Muhammad Shafee.

The prosecution did not object to the request, and the court allowed the trial to resume tomorrow.

On Oct 30 last year, Judge Sequerah ordered Najib to enter his defence after ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against him.

Najib, 71, faces 25 charges, including four counts of abusing his position to accept RM2.3 billion in bribes from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.

-- BERNAMA