KUALA LUMPUR (June 8): The High Court here has set June 16 for case management in Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s application to allow a Queen's Counsel (QC) to represent him in his final appeal at the Federal Court against his July 2020 conviction in the SRC International Sdn Bhd trial. 

High Court Deputy Registrar Syeela Marlina Uttaman had set the date before Justice Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh. 

The High Court will decide whether the QC, Jonathan Laidlaw, can be admitted to practise as an advocate and solicitor in the Malaysian High Court pursuant to Section 18(1) of the Legal Professions Act 1976.

At the case management next week, parties will set the dates for the hearing of the application to allow Laidlaw to act as lead counsel in Najib’s Federal Court appeal. 

In the application filed at the court last week, Najib’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said no advocate and solicitor in Malaysia has the same degree of accomplishments as the QC.

“I verily believe that the applicant's (QC’s) said accomplishments are of an exceptional degree and excel the measure of accomplishments reached by the advocates and solicitors of Malaysia. I further believe that no advocate and solicitor practising in Malaysia can be said to possess an equal degree of accomplishment, experience and expertise which has been acquired by the applicant,” Shafee said.

Shafee said the Federal Court would benefit from being able to draw upon Laidlaw’s experience in the case.

“It is respectfully suggested that the Federal Court would benefit from being able to draw upon the applicant's experience and counsel in this important, sensitive and constantly evolving area and in circumstances where it is likely that international trial observers will be present at court given the identity of the appellant (Najib) and the profile of the case,” he said.

On July 28, 2020, the High Court sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail and fined him RM210 million after he was found guilty by Justice Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali of seven charges involving SRC.

The seven charges comprised one count of abuse of power involving Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP)’s RM4 billion loans to SRC, three counts of criminal breach of trust involving RM42 million and three counts of money laundering.

The Court of Appeal on Dec 8, 2021 upheld the High Court's decision.

The Federal Court is set to hear the appeal on Aug 15 to 26, with written submissions to be filed by July 31.