Najib’s lawyer says US action blocks proof of a hidden conspiracy
Muhammad Shafee Abdullah says the US Justice Department’s action deprives Najib Razak of a fair trial.
PETALING JAYA: A lawyer for Najib Razak has described as “not acceptable” the rationale given by the US Justice Department for withholding evidence sought by Najib for his 1MDB trial. He said the US action denied his client justice and a fair trial.
Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told FMT that although the Justice Department (DoJ) has said it has no intention to deny Najib from accessing the evidence, nor that it was in cahoots with Goldman Sachs, this did not change the fact that Najib was being denied access to evidence vital to his current defence.
The Justice Department was recently reported as saying that the request for the evidence, and timing of its disclosure, would be prejudicial to a US government motion to intervene in a civil suit brought by Najib against international bankers Goldman Sachs and its former executive Tim Leissner.
Lawyers for another former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng have accused the US government of working with the company to prevent evidence relating to the scandal from being given to Najib.
They said the evidence could include names of people who had siphoned funds from 1MDB and also the names of their beneficiaries. The Justice Department has denied these allegations.
Shafee said the claim of sub judice ignored the fact that the lack of access to the evidence was unfair to Najib in his trial.
He added Najib’s defence is that he was unaware that the money he received as a Saudi donation may have come from a complicated rerouting and layering of 1MDB funds by Jho Lho in conspiracy with corrupt 1MDB officials, its bankers, and financial advisers.
“This is why that evidence is crucial to prove this conspiracy behind Najib’s back .You cannot ignore the fact that without the evidence, Najib will not get a fair trial. To us, this appears to be a conscious and deliberate decision just to deprive Najib of a good defence.”
He also said it was not clear how providing Najib the names of those who received bribes from Leissner and Goldman Sachs would prejudice Goldman Sachs and Leissner’s guilty plea which is now pending only for sentencing.
Shafee said the DoJ must know that Najib’s defence team in Malaysia needs the evidence now as it affects the credibility of prosecution witnesses who are testifying, if they had received bribes from Leissner and Goldman Sachs.
He said many unanswered questions still remained on reports that former Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz’s family members received 1MDB-linked money from accounts linked to Jho Low.
“And what is the Malaysian government doing about this? Isn’t it interested in finding out who received 1MDB money from Goldman Sachs, Leissner, Jow Low?,” he said, in reference to Low Taek Jho, the alleged mastermind of the 1MDB scandal.
Subang MP Wong Chen of PKR recently said that every defendant, including Najib, should have access to evidence that could help him.“In high-profile cases like the 1MDB corruption trial, justice must be seen to be done in a truthful and transparent manner,” he said in commenting on Ng’s lawyers’ claim.
PETALING JAYA: A lawyer for Najib Razak has described as “not acceptable” the rationale given by the US Justice Department for withholding evidence sought by Najib for his 1MDB trial. He said the US action denied his client justice and a fair trial.
Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told FMT that although the Justice Department (DoJ) has said it has no intention to deny Najib from accessing the evidence, nor that it was in cahoots with Goldman Sachs, this did not change the fact that Najib was being denied access to evidence vital to his current defence.
The Justice Department was recently reported as saying that the request for the evidence, and timing of its disclosure, would be prejudicial to a US government motion to intervene in a civil suit brought by Najib against international bankers Goldman Sachs and its former executive Tim Leissner.
Lawyers for another former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng have accused the US government of working with the company to prevent evidence relating to the scandal from being given to Najib.
They said the evidence could include names of people who had siphoned funds from 1MDB and also the names of their beneficiaries. The Justice Department has denied these allegations.
Shafee said the claim of sub judice ignored the fact that the lack of access to the evidence was unfair to Najib in his trial.
He added Najib’s defence is that he was unaware that the money he received as a Saudi donation may have come from a complicated rerouting and layering of 1MDB funds by Jho Lho in conspiracy with corrupt 1MDB officials, its bankers, and financial advisers.
“This is why that evidence is crucial to prove this conspiracy behind Najib’s back .You cannot ignore the fact that without the evidence, Najib will not get a fair trial. To us, this appears to be a conscious and deliberate decision just to deprive Najib of a good defence.”
He also said it was not clear how providing Najib the names of those who received bribes from Leissner and Goldman Sachs would prejudice Goldman Sachs and Leissner’s guilty plea which is now pending only for sentencing.
Shafee said the DoJ must know that Najib’s defence team in Malaysia needs the evidence now as it affects the credibility of prosecution witnesses who are testifying, if they had received bribes from Leissner and Goldman Sachs.
He said many unanswered questions still remained on reports that former Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz’s family members received 1MDB-linked money from accounts linked to Jho Low.
“And what is the Malaysian government doing about this? Isn’t it interested in finding out who received 1MDB money from Goldman Sachs, Leissner, Jow Low?,” he said, in reference to Low Taek Jho, the alleged mastermind of the 1MDB scandal.
Subang MP Wong Chen of PKR recently said that every defendant, including Najib, should have access to evidence that could help him.“In high-profile cases like the 1MDB corruption trial, justice must be seen to be done in a truthful and transparent manner,” he said in commenting on Ng’s lawyers’ claim.
All Jibby's so-called frens from US, China etc have deserted him....serve him right.....even the Middle Eastern Royals....who were supposedly willing to deposit billions into Jibby's personal bank account....how many appeared in court for his SRC defence to testify to the donations?.....YILEK.....now let's see how many will appear in court in his 1MDB defence.....ha ha ha...telur again probably.....
ReplyDeleteNo need to bring in Bullshit about Najib being punished for being So
ReplyDelete-called "too close" tonight China.
In Malaysia , as in the US, the Defendant has the right to make a legal request for specific information that is in the hands of 3rd parties.
He does not have the right to make a speculative general request for unspecified , even unknown information AKA "fishing expedition" in the hope of finding Something that can help his case.
That is an abuse of the legal process.
aren't you prejudiced by your biased speculative assumptions?
DeleteJust Explaining to Najib Fanboys the law as regards to requests for information during a trial.
DeleteThis was clearly explained by a lawyer friend, who has handled such " fishing expedition " cases before
All this Jibby could have avoided of course, if he had sued Wall Street Journal back in 2015 like he bravely crowed he would.
ReplyDeleteBTW, two months have passed and he still hasn’t sued Tommy Thomas over Altantuya yet......
QUOTE
Najib to sue WSJ Tuesday, says report
Sunday, 05 Jul 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will file a suit against US paper the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Tuesday over a report that alleged an outflow of US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) from state-owned 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to his personal bank accounts.
The Star Online reported today unnamed sources close to Najib as saying that he will make the announcement at a press conference in Semenyih later today.
UNQUOTE
No need for the thousands of pages of legal documents from USA lah. Just ask your frens to help.
ReplyDeleteJibby’s Lucu Katun Defence:
With all the resources available to me as the Prime Minister and Finance Minister I WUZ TIPU-ED KAW-KAW BY CHERUBIC BABY FACED BOY and His Gang of Fraudsters. POOR POOR PITIFUL ME.
Roger Ng would make an ideal defence witness for Jibby. He can name the other people who conspired to TIPU Jibby Big Time. As would Tim Liessner and other Goldman Sachs executives who were so fren fren with Jibby in NYC. If they know that Jibby had been conned by lowly people for sure they will come to KL to say so in court. Or file sworn affidavits to that effect. Simple. No need to plough through thousands of pages of legal documents looking for evidence.
And even when warned and exposed by various parties (local and overseas media, DOJ, various banks in SGP, Europe) that suspicious, perhaps illegal transactions had taken place involving shady characters and offshore shell companies and people started disappearing without a trace, Jibby CONTINUED to deny that anything was wrong over a space of YEARS.
ReplyDeleteYou hear of many lonely hearts and retired pensioners getting TIPU-ed by Macau Scam, but a PM and FM with all the resources and advisors available to him getting TIPU-ed by CHERUBIC BABY FACE....? Ha ha ha...sorry lah...cannot believe unless you are Gullible Guppy.