Prosecution objects to defence application for additional documents in Najib's trial
KUALA LUMPUR: The prosecution in the trial of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak involving RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds has objected to the defence application for the first witness to submit three additional documents at the hearing.
Lawyer Datuk V. Sithambaram, who has been appointed as a deputy public prosecutor, said the court should consider whether the additional documents are acceptable and relevant for submission for the purpose of cross-examination of the first witness, assistant registrar of the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), Muhamad Akmaludin Abdullah, 35.
The documents include the details of all individuals who have served as directors at Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia.
“Section 51A of the Criminal Procedure Code clearly states that the court should consider whether the documents to be submitted are acceptable in this court and whether there is a need for the documents to be used in court to cross-examine the witness,” Sithambaram said on the second day of the trial.
Lawyer Harvinderjit Singh, representing Najib, argued that the documents must be presented first, and then it would be decided whether they are relevant or not.
Presiding High Court Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali decided that the two sides scrutinise the documents before submitting them to the court.
At the hearing on April 3, Harvinderjit Singh asked Muhamad Akmaludin to conduct a search on Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) to obtain the details of all individuals who had served as directors in YR1M.
The witness completed his testimony during the examination-in-chief by the prosecution.
Najib, 66, is facing three counts of criminal breach of trust, one charge of abusing his position and three counts of money laundering over SRC International Sdn Bhd funds amounting to RM42 million.
The Pekan MP, who was the sixth prime minister, was charged with committing the offences at AmIslamic Bank Berhad in Jalan Raja Chulan and the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya between Aug 17, 2011, and Feb 10, 2015. - Bernama