KUALA LUMPUR (April 2): The 1Malaysia Development Bhd-Tanore (1MDB-Tanore) criminal trial was vacated early on Tuesday as the only accused, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was suffering from dehydration and diarrhea, according to a prison doctor who examined him.

Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah was forced to vacate the trial for the day, as Najib was ruled unwell by prison doctor Dr Mohd Hafiz Mohd Hoshni.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib had called Mohd Hafiz to the stand to inform the court of Najib’s condition.

The doctor testified that the former finance minister had passed motion three times in the morning, and was experiencing stomach pain.

The doctor then told the court that he had administered medication, which could make Najib drowsy and unfit to continue with the trial for the day.

In criminal cases, the accused is required to be present and sit at the dock for the duration of the trial. The trial cannot commence if the accused is not physically present.

The doctor then said that Najib needed two days of rest to recover, and recommended two days’ medical leave (MC).

Sequerah then asked if Najib would be fit to attend proceedings on Wednesday, to which Mohd Hafiz said that it would not be recommended.

Sequerah however said that Najib would have to come to the court as scheduled on Wednesday, as the trial could not be postponed any longer.

"He has to be here tomorrow (Wednesday). I cannot [keep] postponing the trial. I [will] give him rest on the doctor's recommendation [for] today only. We need to proceed with the trial," said the judge.

The trial is slated to continue on Wednesday at 9am, with witness Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, 1MDB's former general counsel, still on the stand.

Najib was jailed for 12 years and fined RM210 million after the Federal Court upheld his sentence and conviction in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case in August 2022.

He is also on trial for other matters related to the 1MDB scandal.

In February, the Pardons Board cut the 12-year jail sentence to six, and reduced the original fine of RM210 million to RM50 million for Najib.

In this trial, Najib is charged with four counts of abuse of power for using his position as the then prime minister and finance minister as well as chairman of 1MDB’s board of advisers to receive gratifications worth RM2.28 billion, and 21 counts of money laundering amounting to over RM4.3 billion.

The Edge is covering the trial live here.

Users of The Edge Markets app may tap here to access the live report.