KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak was back in court today for his other trial involving the misappropriation of RM2.28 billion of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds.
Last Tuesday, the former prime minister was sentenced to 12 years' jail and fined RM210 million after being found guilty of all seven charges related to RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.
However, he managed to get a stay of execution and was released on RM2 million bail.
Today, the defence continued with its cross-examination of former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, who is the ninth prosecution witness in the 1MDB trial.
Lawyer Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed questioned him on the acquisition of Mastika Lagenda Sdn Bhd by 1MDB.
Mastika Lagenda was the investment holding company for Genting Sanyen Power Sdn Bhd which was previously acquired by 1MDB after getting a blanket approval from Najib in 2012.
Shahrol, who has been in the witness stand since late last year, maintained that he obtained the blanket approval to proceed with the Mastika Lagenda deal.
He also confirmed that there was no specific or written approval on the acquisition from Najib.
Wan Aizuddin then contended that the deal was just a sham to deceive the 1MDB board of directors, to which Shahrol agreed in hindsight.
"At the material time, I didn't know. But now, in hindsight yes," he said.
Shahrol also agreed with the lawyer's contention on the option offer to take up a 49 per cent equity stake in 1MDB Energy Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of 1MDB.
Although he was grilled over and over again about being in cahoots with fugitive businessman Jho Low and other figures involved in the 1MDB fiasco to embezzle millions from the company, Shahrol maintained that he was not complicit with them in any way.
Before concluding his line of questioning, Wan Aizuddin told the court that lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah will continue cross-examining the witness tomorrow.
Earlier, High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah asked how much longer the defence was going to keep Shahrol on the stand – to which Wan Aizuddin replied it was expected that the witness would be cross-examined for another two weeks.
Najib, 67, is facing 25 counts of abuse of power and money laundering involving RM2.28 billion of 1MDB funds which were deposited into his accounts between 2011 and 2014.
The trial before Sequerah continues tomorrow.