Lawyer Judge Lock Horns After Najib Convicted On All 1mdb Charges

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Tension arose after Najib’s lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, requested a short adjournment from presiding judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah following the delivery of the court’s written judgment today. Pic by NSTP/RAIHANA MANSORPUTRAJAYA: The judge and Datuk Seri Najib Razak's defence team locked horns after the former prime minister was convicted on all charges involving the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds.
Tensions rose after Najib's lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, requested a short adjournment from presiding judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah following the delivery of the court's written judgment today.
Sequerah had spent about five hours delivering his decision, ruling that Najib was guilty on four charges of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering.
The senior lawyer sought a brief pause to confirm certain matters with his client and to address points raised earlier in the morning.
However, Sequerah pressed on, saying no new instructions could be entertained and directed the defence to proceed with mitigation before sentencing.
"All that is left is mitigation. I do not understand what further instructions are required," the judge said.
Shafee, visibly taken aback, reiterated that the defence was only seeking a short adjournment to read specific points to his client.
The exchange grew tense, with the defence maintaining it was a brief request, while the judge questioned what differentiated the case from others before the court.
After a brief back-and-forth, Sequerah said there had been a misunderstanding, explaining that he initially thought the defence was seeking a new date for mitigation.
"I apologise. I thought you were asking for another date," the judge said, before ordering a 30-minute stand-down. - NST

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