KUALA LUMPUR: DATUK Seri Najib Razak yesterday had a firsthand taste of how a court case can drag on, and he seemed to have come prepared for it.
The former prime minister, 66, kept himself busy fiddling with his handphone and reading a book during breaks in proceedings.
He was also seen chatting with supporters who turned up in court.
Dressed in a light shirt and black jacket, Najib could not help talking about Barisan Nasional’s victory in the Rantau by-election.
He broached the subject with journalists during a short break.
He lamented that he was popular with the electorate in the constituency, but seemed to have fallen out of favour with the mainstream media.
Later, as he was about to leave the court during lunch break, he smiled and shook hands with a supporter who shouted slogans in support of him.
Najib’s lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, commented on yesterday’s proceedings when prompted by reporters.
Shafee said the prosecution would have to show Najib had been a party to the illegal money transactions linked to his account.
He said receiving money in one’s account did not mean that a person had knowledge of its origins.
“There can be many transactions. The issue is, did he (Najib) know the exact things that were going on?
“The prosecution needs to show that my client is a complicit part of the conspiracy.”
Najib is facing three counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and one count of abuse of power over funds amounting to RM42 million linked to SRC International.
He is also facing three money laundering charges over the same funds.
The three CBT charges were read under Section 409 of the Penal Code, while the abuse of power charge was read under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009.
The Pekan member of parliament is facing three money laundering charges under the Anti Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFA) 2001.
He is liable to be sentenced to up to 20 years’ in jail, caned and fined for the CBT charges; a maximum 20 years’ jail and a fine of not less than five times the amount of bribe involved for the abuse of power charge; and jail not exceeding 15 years and a fine of up to RM15 million for the money laundering charges.