Article author:
Associated Press
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian Supreme Court On Thursday, former Prime Minister Najib Razak's new lawyer refused to allow him to withdraw from his corruption case linked to the looting of the 1MDB state fund, preventing a possible delay in his final appeal.
for Najib after a federal court on Tuesday rejected his motion to vacate his conviction and 12-year prison sentence on allegations of judicial bias. was another blow. The court also dismissed an attempt by Najib's new legal team, who was appointed just weeks earlier, to delay an appeal by him for three months, and ordered a hearing to begin on Thursday. The court said the team should have been ready to appear on the agreed date when it filed the lawsuit.
1MDB shortly after Najib took power in his 2009 was a development fund established in Investigators claim that at least $4.5 billion of him was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib's associates. Najib was found guilty of abuse of power, criminal credit breach, and money laundering, alleging that he illegally received $9.4 million from SRC International, a former division of 1MDB.
At the start of Thursday's hearings, Najib's new chief lawyer, Hisham Te Po Theik, told the court he wanted to resign because he had not been given enough time to prepare. I was.
A five-member court dismissed his request, but Hisyam remained defiant and subsequently did not intend to make new submissions on appeal, in addition to those already prepared by his previous attorney. said no.
Najib reacted strongly to the court's refusal to resign his Hisyam, saying his right to a fair hearing was at stake. He said Hisyam did not have enough time to prepare an appeal, leaving him with no effective lawyers or adequate representation.
"A new team needs time to bring in fresh ideas. I am not ashamed to say that I was hopeless, as do litigants in distress," Najib said. “I have received virtually no advice.
Najib, 69, will become the first former Malaysian prime minister to be jailed if his appeal is rejected. He has pleaded not guilty and is out on bail pending his appeal.
1MDB's scandal sparked investigations in the United States and several other countries, leading to the overthrow of the Najib government in the 2018 elections. Najib faces a total of 42 charges in his five separate trials related to 1MDB, and his wife is also on trial for corruption charges.
Despite his corruption conviction, Najib remains politically influential. His United Malay National Organization leads the current government after the reformist government, which won polls in 2018, collapsed due to the defection of lawmakers.
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