KUALA LUMPUR (April 25): Three additional dates have been set for the ongoing 1Malaysia Development Bhd-Tanore (1MDB-Tanore) case, in hopes of wrapping up the prosecution's stage of the trial which began in 2019.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib informed the court of this on Thursday, following a brief discussion in trial judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah's chambers.

The additional dates are April 30, and May 2 and 31. The initial May 4 (Saturday) date has been vacated.

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The new dates come after lead defence counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah informed the court on Wednesday that he would like to recall more prosecution witnesses, including former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, former 1MDB director Tan Sri Ismee Ismail, and possibly, former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo.

The defence has yet to finish its cross-examination of former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, and investigating officer (IO) ACP Foo Wei Min. It is also still in the midst of cross-examining Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission IO Nur Aida Arifin, the prosecution's 49th witness.

Shafee only indicated that he wished to recall Ismee and another member of 1MDB's former management. However, the list has grown to include Shahrol. Previously, Shahrol had already spent close to a year on the stand owing to delays during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sequerah had voiced his frustration regarding the recall of additional witnesses, saying that he had told parties that the prosecution stage needed to be wrapped up by the end of April.

Additional trial dates until December this year had been locked in previously. Sequerah had asked for additional dates, saying that it was typical to expect that some of these dates would be vacated due to health or other reasons, going by past occurrences in the trial.

There are also five Saturday dates set until June, in hopes of wrapping up the prosecution's case, after which Sequerah will decide whether former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will be ordered to enter his defence or will be able to walk free.

In this trial, Najib faces four counts of abuse of power for using his position as the then prime minister, finance minister, and chairman of 1MDB’s board of advisers to receive gratifications worth US$620 million (RM2.27 billion). He also faces 21 money-laundering charges. 

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