PUTRAJAYA -"We turn to Allah SWT, hoping that Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be freed and that his case will be dropped today."
That was the heartfelt message from one of Najib's loyal supporters, Raidah Rashid, 65, fondly known as Kak Roy, when met by reporters outside the Federal Court here while awaiting the decision of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case involving Najib.
Raidah said she and her friends from the "Friends of Najib" group gathered at the court compound as early as 6.45am to show their support for the former prime minister.
"Our hope is that the case we have been waiting on for seven years, with him going in and out of court, will finally come to an end.
"We have prayed for years. Today, he must be freed," she said.
The court is set to decide today whether Najib will be acquitted or convicted on four corruption charges and 21 money laundering charges involving RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds.
Trial judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah (now Federal Court judge), who is presiding at the Palace of Justice is expected to deliver the decision at 9am.
This is the final criminal case faced by Najib, 72, which is at the trial stage.
If the court finds that Najib’s defence team, led by lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, has successfully raised reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case, the former Umno president will be acquitted.
However, if the court takes a different view, the judge will proceed to sentence the former Pekan MP.
For the four corruption charges under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act, Najib can be punished under Section 24(1) of the same law, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of up to five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, for each charge.
For the 21 money laundering charges under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFA), the punishment includes a maximum fine of RM5 million, up to five years’ imprisonment, or both.
The court will also decide whether any prison sentences will run concurrently or separately for the 25 charges.
Regardless of today’s outcome, both the prosecution and the defence still have the right to appeal at two higher levels — the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court.
A total of 50 prosecution witnesses were called during the prosecution stage, which lasted 235 days and ended on May 30, 2024.
On May 6 this year, the defence closed its case after hearing testimonies from 26 defence witnesses over 58 days.
The high-profile trial spanned 303 days in total, including 10 days of final submissions at the end of the defence case, which began on Oct 21.
Among the prosecution witnesses were former 1MDB chairman Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh, former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz and former company lawyer Jasmine Loo Ai Swan.
Key defence witnesses included Najib himself, former 1MDB chairman Tan Sri Che Lodin Wok Kamarudin, Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin's sister, Tengku Datuk Rahimah Sultan Mahmud and former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom.
The prosecution was initially led by former Federal Court judge the late Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, before his passing in January 2023.
The case was later handled by deputy public prosecutors Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib, Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam, Deepa Nair Thevarahan, Nadia Mohd Izhar, Najwa Bistamam, Hazmida Harris Lee and Siti Aina Rodhiah Shikh Md Saud.
Najib’s defence team includes Shafee, Tania Scivetti, Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin, Wan Mohammad Arfan Wan Othman, Hartrisha Kaur Sandhu and Naresh Mayachandran.
According to the charges, Najib allegedly committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Berhad, Bukit Ceylon, between Feb 24, 2011 and Dec 19, 2014. The money laundering offences allegedly took place between March 22, 2013 and Aug 30, 2013, at the same place.