Malaysia top court rejects Najib’s bid to add evidence in appeal

MALAYSIA’S highest court dismissed former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s second bid to add new evidence in an appeal against his conviction in a case linked to a former unit of 1MDB, the Edge and other local media reported.

Najib’s legal team had requested to add evidence in an appeal hearing that began on Monday and is due to run until Aug 26. Chief Justice Maimun Tuan Mat ruled that there is no basis to suggest that then High Court Judge Nazlan Mohd Ghazali’s employment in Maybank represents a conflict of interest, the Edge report said. 

Nazlan in December affirmed Najib was guilty of all seven charges in the case involving RM42 million (S$12 million) belonging to SRC International. Najib, who is out on bail pending the hearing in the Federal Court, faces 12 years in jail and RM210 million in fines if he fails in his final appeal.

Earlier this month, the Federal Court had rejected a request by Najib to delay the appeal after he changed his legal team, local media reported. BLOOMBERG