100 passes allocated for local and international media reps

KUALA LUMPUR: One hundred passes have been prepared for local and foreign media practitioners covering former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s trial involving SRC International Sdn Bhd funds at the High Court here today.

An officer managing media registration said 30 red passes had been prepared for local and foreign journalists attending the proceedings at the open court, 20 orange passes for those attending the proceedings at the videolink room and 50 blue passes for photographers and cameramen at the courts complex lobby.

“The registration counter will be opened at 12.30pm for the media to obtain their passes.”

She said the video-link room was located at the Sessions Court 2 and only one representative from each news agency was allowed in the room.

“If there are too many journalists, we will consider adding another video-link room with 20 more passes,” she said.

A total of 16 local media journalists are allowed in the court, namely from Bernama, RTM, TV3, Astro Awani, and a representative each from the New Straits Times Press and Utusan Melayu, Sinar Harian, the Star, Oriental Daily , China Press,

Malay Mail, Malaysiakini, Free Malaysia Today, Malaysia Gazette, the Edge and the Malaysian Insight.

Apart from that, there will be 14 international journalists from AFP, AP, CNN, BBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, Asahi Shimbun, Nikkei, Dow Jones News-Times, Fairfax Media, the Financial Times, The Guardian, Al-Jazeera and Kyodo News.

The case will be heard before High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali on level five and three witnesses, comprising government and bank officers, will give their statements.

Checks at the courts complex showed that several tables had been placed at the corridor on level five to prevent members of the public from passing through the area.

On July 4 last year, Najib who is Pekan member of parliament, was charged at the Sessions Court here on three counts of criminal breach of trust and one charge of abuse of power involving SRC International Sdn Bhd’s funds amounting to RM42 million.

On Aug 2 last year, Najib was charged with three counts of money laundering involving the same amount from the same company.