New Ag Idrus Okays Sri Ram Prosecuting Najib Rosmah

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Gopal Sri Ram.KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyer Gopal Sri Ram says he has been directed by newly minted attorney-general (AG) Idrus Harun to continue all prosecutions against several individuals including former prime minister Najib Razak
Sri Ram, who was given a special licence to lead the prosecution in four cases, said the AG’s instruction was that ongoing and upcoming trials would proceed
“This was the instruction to me,” he told FMT before the corruption trial of Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, resumed today before High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan
He declined to comment further on the issue
On Friday, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that Idrus, a former Federal Court judge, had been appointed as AG on a two-year contract
The AG also acts as public prosecutor
Under Article 145 (3) of the Federal Constitution, the AG has the discretion to institute, conduct or discontinue any criminal case
Sri Ram, who is also a former Federal Court judge, is conducting Najib’s trial in which the ex-prime minister is accused of tampering with the final audit report of 1MDB
Former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy was charged with abetting
In a separate case, Najib is being tried on four counts of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount
Rosmah, meanwhile, faces one count of soliciting RM187.5 million from Saidi Abang Samsudin, the managing director of Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd, as an inducement to help the company secure the Hybrid Photovoltaic Solar System Integrated Project and Maintenance and Operation of Genset/Diesel for 369 rural schools in Sarawak
She has also been charged with two counts of receiving bribes amounting to RM6.5 million from Saidi
In addition, Sri Ram leads the prosecution team in the trial of lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who faces two counts of money laundering charges involving RM9.5 million allegedly received from Najib
The lawyer also faces another two charges of making false statements to the Inland Revenue Board
Case management will be held on April 30 to determine new trial dates. - FMT

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