KUALA LUMPUR: Najib Razak’s legal team plans to bring in British lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw as part of the team if the former PM’s request to see his SRC International case is granted.
Lawyer Shafee Abdullah said Laidlaw – a lawyer for the king – is one of the best lawyers to act in fraud and corruption cases.
“Although the previous attorneys have indicated that they have no interest in prosecuting Laidlaw, we find it ridiculous to ignore the appeal (against Laidlaw’s admission),” he told reporters today.
Shafee said Najib tried to get the federal court to overturn his Aug. 23 conviction or have another federal court retry his conviction appeal.
Najib was found guilty of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and laundering over RM42 million of SRC International funds in his accounts. He is currently serving a 12-year sentence in Kajang Prison.
Prior to SRC International’s appeal hearing, Najib relieved Shafee’s firm of representation before the Supreme Court and instead employed the law firm of Suflan TH Liew & Partners.
Attorney Hisyam Teh Poh Teik was subsequently appointed to lead Najib’s legal team during the federal court hearing.
Laidlaw applied in July for ad hoc admission to the court here so that he could represent Najib on SRC International’s complaint.
However, the High Court denied Laidlaw’s license application on the grounds that he did not qualify for ad hoc license under the Legal Profession Act.
Laidlaw has appealed the High Court’s decision barring him from taking part in the case.
Will Najib try to run in polls?
When asked if the former prime minister could run in the upcoming general election, Shafee said he did not want to make public what he would later argue in court.
“There are many interesting arguments that I don’t want to make public. When I execute it, you will know,” he said in reference to Najib’s judicial review request previously filed against the prison department and the government.
The Supreme Court will hear Najib’s request on October 19 to ask the court to overturn the Prison Department’s decision not to allow his request to participate in trials at the Dewan Rakyat.
However, after the dissolution of parliament on Monday, no further sessions of the lower house will take place.
When asked if the attorneys had sought the prison board’s approval to allow Najib to promote Barisan Nasional, Shafee said he had nothing to disclose.
