Sri Ram Ticks Off Defence For Wasting Time Shafee Says 1mdb Not Open And Shut Case

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Datuk Seri Najib Razak seen arriving at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex ahead of the trial in Kuala Lumpur. -NSTP/ASYRAF HAMZAHKUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak's lawyers were today put under the hammer by the lead prosecutor, and judge in the former prime minister's corruption case involving 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds over their line of questioning.
At one point, an exasperated Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram - who is the lead prosecutor is the trial - said the defence was just wasting the court's time by going through material which has already been raised and answered by witnesses.
Sri Ram, a former Federal Court Judge, raised his annoyance just as today's session was about to be adjourned for lunch after former 1MDB director Tan Sri Ismee Ismail was put through a series of questions by Najib's lawyers.

Tan Sri Ismee Ismail seen arriving at the court in Kuala Lumpur. - NSTP/ASYRAF HAMZAH
"My Lord, I have been very patient. There must be some relevance to their questions.
"They have already put the same questions to Shahrol (former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi) before this and he has given his explanation.
"I just want to save the court's time...it is totally wasted time. Material which is already traversed is being gone through by them again," he said.
Sri Ram had earlier also objected to Najib's lawyer Datuk Hariharan Tara Singh's attempt to get Ismee to explain how Casey Tang, an aide of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho @ Jho Low had been roped into the Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA), the precursor company to 1MDB.
The Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) questioned the relevance of such a question and said the defence should just cut through the chase and get to the point they wanted to make.
His objection was acknowledged by High Court Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who remarked that there would be no end in sight if the defence continued with their line of questioning.

Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. - NSTP/ASYRAF HAMZAH
He later pointed out that the defence seemed to be going in circles by raising questions which Ismee was in no position to answer and repeating issues which had already been answered by Shahrol.
Sequerah said while he would allow some latitude to the defence they should not keep asking Ismee to confirm things which were already clearly spelt out in documents put before him.
"We seem to be going in circles. These documents are already on record and not disputed. The witness is also in no position to confirm some of the things put to him.
"Just confront him with what you want to put as your case and leave the rest for your submission," he said.
However, lead defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah later responded and said the defence would not be dancing to the prosecution's tune.
He said the defence needed to show how the management of 1MDB was the main culprit in the case but the wrong person had ended up sitting in the dock.
"This is a very complicated case. It is not an open and shut case," he said, adding that the defence would however take note of the judge's point.
Najib, 70, is on trial over the misappropriation of more than RM2 billion of 1MDB funds. - NST

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