Kuala Lumpur: The trial judge presiding over Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial says there is no need for him to recuse himself from hearing the former prime minister’s case.
Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah dismissed Najib’s application to recuse him today.
Earlier this week, Najib filed an application to recuse Sequerah from hearing his case after the judge disclosed that he and former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo had been partners in a law firm.
Loo, is believed to be a former associate of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, the alleged mastermind behind the 1MDB scandal.
She was arrested and remanded by police last month for 1MDB-related investigations.
Meanwhile, lawyer Shafee Abdullah said they will be filing an appeal against the judge’s decision today.
He also sought an order to suspend the trial pending an appeal.
However, Sequerah said there are no special circumstances to warrant a stay of proceedings pending appeal, and ordered the trial to proceed with testimony from former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz.
‘Oath of office requires me to defend constitution’
In his ruling, Sequerah said Najib failed to discharge his burden of proving that there was a real danger of bias if (Sequerah) continues to hear the trial.
“There is no amount of gazing into the crystal ball I could foresee that she (Loo) would be arrested as, during the course of trial, it was disclosed that she was a fugitive.
“After her arrest, the defence insisted to (ask) the prosecution if she will be called to testify, but the DPPs did not provide a definite answer,” he said.
He said Loo had resigned from the law firm for about 15 years and there had been no communication between him and her on a personal or professional basis.
“When I took my oath of office (during elevation to the bench), my duty was to defend the Federal Constitution.
“One of them is my duty to ensure the right to fair trial, regardless of who the accused person is,” he said.
