Najib brings SRC case to UN Council seeking release from jail or retrial
Senior counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah showing a document at a press conference at his office in Bukit Tunku today over a petition filed by the former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak regarding his SRCInternational Sdn Bhd case.
05/01/2023 07:34 PM
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today filed a petition before the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on ArbitraryDetention (UNWGAD) to ask for a release from prison or retrial of his SRC International Sdn Bhd case.
The former prime minister, through Messrs Shafee & Co, filed the petition at 1.30 pm at the office of the High Commission of Geneva via digital submission.
Lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told a press conference that his client filed the petition to ask for a release or a retrial following an appeal hearing at theFederal Court which he claimed had serious defects and was contrary to the rules of international justice.
"Najib is asking the UNWGAD panel of five experts on international justice to rule that the dismissal of his appeal by the Federal Court on Aug 23 last year wasunjust, flawed and violated his basic human rights and the Federal Constitution.
"The five distinguished human rights judges will not be called upon to decide whether Najib is guilty but to determine whether his trial was fair and if not, may callupon the government to release him or provide him with a retrial.
"The Federal Court proceedings failed to accord him a reasonable opportunity to argue his case and denied his lawyers adequate time to prepare it. In fact, the courtdid not allow his defence team even to make submissions in the appeal against his sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment," said the lawyer.
He further said that the final few days of the appeal in August amounted to a “rushed justice” when Najib's lawyers were not allowed the time that was obviouslyneeded to read the many tens of thousands of pages of the appeal papers or to come to grips with the 94 grounds of appeal that his previous lawyers had filed.
Muhammad Shafee said as the potential beneficiary of a ruling from UNWGAD, Najib expressed hope and confidence that the current government would follow theUNWGAD ruling upon the same being made available.
When asked whether Najib's review application of his conviction, jail sentence and fine which was fixed on Jan 19 at the Federal Court will be postponed due to thelast-minute petition, Muhammad Shafee said: "We are ready to go on with Jan 19."
Najib is serving a 12-year jail term in Kajang Prison after he lost his final appeal in the Federal Court to set aside his conviction, jail sentence and a fine of RM210million for misappropriating RM42 million of SRC International funds.
-- BERNAMA
