KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 21): The charges Datuk Seri Najib Razak is facing for allegedly abusing his position as the then prime minister, finance minister and chairman of 1Malaysia Development Bhd's (1MDB) board of advisers to receive gratifications amounting to US$620 million (RM2.27 billion) in the 1MDB-Tanore case are not defective and are by the law, the prosecution contends.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib indicated this to the court on Wednesday while briefly addressing Najib's counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah's argument that the charges Najib faces are "fundamentally flawed" and "defective".

Akram pointed out that the charges against Najib had clearly stated the place, time, date and his position as an officer of a public body.

He added that the prosecution will further elaborate on the phrase "in which you have direct interest" in the separate limbs in all four abuse of power charges Najib is slapped with when it comes to the prosecution's turn to submit its case.

Akram was responding to trial judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who asked the prosecution to point out the element of interest in the charges.

The judge's query came in the midst of Shafee's submissions at the end of the prosecution's stage of the trial, where the defence counsel raised the issue that the charges didn't specify how Najib's alleged actions had served his interest or that of any relative or associate per the law.

This is the third day where the senior counsel is submitting on the argument that the prosecution had botched the drafting of the charges against the former prime minister. Shafee claimed that this handicaps the defence's ability to mount a proper defence.

The parties are currently submitting at the end of the prosecution's case. Following this, Sequerah will set a date to deliver his decision on whether Najib has to enter his defence or can walk free.

In this trial, Najib faces four counts of abuse of power. He also faces 21 money-laundering charges. 

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