KUALA LUMPUR: High Court judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah has reprimanded Datuk Seri Najib Razak for not turning up in court for his trial this morning when the case was called up.
The former prime minister's trial over the misappropriation of RM2.28 billion 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds was scheduled to start at 9.30am, today.
His counsel Rahmat Hazlan earlier told the court that his client together with 113 Members of Parliament (MP) had been summoned to the Palace to confirm their support for Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to become prime minister.
Rahmat said the King will be interviewing the MPs one by one but he does not know the specific time Najib would be called to meet the King.
"My client is scheduled to leave the World Trade Centre (WTC) to the Palace at 10.30am.
"I believe that he is at WTC now along with the other Barisan Nasional MPs and they are in the midst of a discussion as well," the lawyer said.
This made the judge furious.
"He (Najib) should have had the courtesy to come here first," the judge said.
Sequerah insisted that the trial proceed and asked the defence team to update the court the time Najib is required to be at the Palace.
"The King summons the MPs of course he has to be there, but the newspaper report that I read says it is going to be in batches.
"Your client better let me know what time he is required to be there, from what time to what time because this case in going on.
"I want to know what time is his slot there," the judge said before the court went into a 10-minute break.
When the matter resumed after break, Rahmat said he was not able to provide a specific time as to when will be his client's turn to meet the King.
He said he will inform the court once he receives an update from Najib's officers.
Sequerah said he intended for the trial to go on "come what may" and told the counsel to keep him informed about Najib's meeting with the King.
"All of us has a duty to perform. If the King summons, he (Najib) has to be there but from what I understand, he does not have to be there the whole day.
"He can be there and give his view to the Majesty and come back here," the judge said.
The trial was then adjourned to 2.30pm.
Yesterday, Sequerah allowed Najib's application for a short adjounrment of the trial to attend a critical meeting between coalition's leaders to discuss on the issue of the appointment of the new Prime Minister.
The judge said he had only allowed the request due to the peculiar circumstance on the country's current situation.
Najib, 68, is charged with 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.
He faces 20 years' jail and fine, if convicted.