PUTRAJAYA: Lawyers representing Datuk Seri Najib Razak were today reminded not to go on and on repeating the same arguments in trying to convince the Court of Appeal to overturn the jail sentence and fine imposed on the former prime minister.
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Judge Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil told this to lawyer Harvinderjit Singh, who is one of the lawyers representing Najib, right at the start of today’s hearing.
“You were scheduled to finish your submission today. However, I see that your submission has been focused on the same issues and facts.
“You all (Najib’s team) are overlapping on the same thing the past three days. We (the bench of three judges) are still waiting for your submission on the charges…how the trial judge erred, issues of law and all that. You haven’t touched on this at all,” he said immediately after the court was called into session.
Harvinderjit acknowledged the judge’s reminder, saying: “I will do that now.”
However, as he started to argue Najib’s case by touching on the criminal breach of trust issue, Karim stopped him in his tracks and said that he was repeating the same arguments again.
“You are repeating again. I say again, you must make us clear (on how the trial judge erred)….,” Karim said in a sharp voice.
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Harvinderjit then again acknowledged the judge’s reminder and pledged to move on.
Najib’s team of lawyers, which is headed by senior counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, started submitting on Najib’s appeal on Monday.
Their arguments so far have centred on trial judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali and how his inexperience in conducting criminal trials had led to Najib being convicted.
The lawyers have also spent time submitting on fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho @ Jho Low’s role in the mess that Najib has found himself in.
Nazlan had convicted the former Umno president and Pekan member of parliament, of all seven charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving RM42 million of SRC International Berhad funds, in July last year.
Najib was subsequently sentenced to 12 years’ jail and fined RM210 million.
The hearing before Karim and the other two judges, Datuk Has Zanah Mehat and Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, continues.- NST