Prosecution Seeks To Amend Typographical Errors In Charge Against Najib Arul In 1mdb Audit Tampering Trial

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Reminiscent of Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy charge that mentioned a building which had not been built yet (The Edge) – The prosecution team of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) final audit report tampering trial of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and former 1MDB president Arul Kanda Kandasamy is seeking to amend the charge against both of the accused.
Lead public prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram told High Court Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan he will seek to amend certain wording in the charge sheet tomorrow as he claimed that there were “typographical errors”.
However, lead defence counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said he will object to the application, claiming that his team had prepared the whole argument for the case by relying on the initial unamended charge.
“We will object to the [proposed] amendment to the charge as our preparation has been based on this charge. We will object strenuously,” he said.
The confusion arose as Muhammad Shafee argued that according to the charge sheet, the request for amendments to the audit report was made before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in a meeting.
As such, Muhammad Shafee claimed that the amendments were made on drafts, not the final copy.
When met after the proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib said that the prosecution seeks to amend the wording in the charge sheet to make it more “abundantly clear”. He did not divulge any details.
The trial is adjourned to 9.30am tomorrow as Justice Mohamed Zaini is expected to hear the application to amend the wording of the charge.
 

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