The Trials of Najib

It has been about a year and six months since former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was first charged in relation to the 1MDB scandal in September 2018.

With the huge anticipation on the court’s verdict, numerous Malaysians have complained about the lengthy proceedings.

As Najib is facing multiple financial crime charges involving SRC International and 1MDB, it is without doubt that there will be tons of paperwork and research prior to the legal proceedings.

At the same time, there have also been several postponements on Najib’s legal proceeding that are not related to legal technicalities.

The latest occurrence was on February 18, when Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah announced that he must attend his son’s wedding on February 20.

Shafee’s son, Muhammad Farhan, is also one of the members in Najib’s defence team.

Due to the wedding, the 1MDB trial has been postponed and will resume two weeks later, on March 2.

However, it is not the first time for Najib’s legal proceedings to be delayed because of Shafee.

In March last year, Najib’s hearing was postponed for three days because Shafee was injured by his guard dog.

The lead counsel of Najib’s defence team suffered from soft tissue damage on his left wrist.

Additionally, the defendant himself also took some time off from the court due to health issues.

On 31 October 2019, Najib took medical leave because of swollen eyes, but he was seen at Johor on the same day without any eye injuries.

Then, the Pekan MP campaigned for BN for the Tanjung Piai by-election.

There have been multiple delays in Najib’s legal proceedings, but does it only benefit Najib?

In another perspective, Najib’s ongoing trial serves as a constant reminder to Malaysians of his alleged kleptocrats that run within Barisan Nasional.