Former Malaysian prime minister Najib’s bid to call handwriting expert a ‘tactical manoeuvre’, says prosecutor
- Prosecutor Datuk V Sithambaram said that the move at such a late stage of the trial clearly showed that the application was an ‘afterthought’
- Najib has been ordered to answer seven charges of misappropriating millions
Former Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's application to call an Australian handwriting expert to examine his signatures on several SRC International Sdn Bhd related documents to establish authenticity is just a “tactical manoeuvre”, the High Court was told on Monday.
Ad hoc prosecutor Datuk V. Sithambaram said that the act of Najib waiting until this late stage of the trial to seek verification from a document examiner clearly showed that the application was an afterthought and a tactical manoeuvre to delay proceedings and put the prosecution at a procedural disadvantage to face the defence's case.
“If allowed, this application will cause a miscarriage of justice. Justice is not only for the defence, it is also for the prosecution, an often overlooked proposition.
“In fact, during cross-examination on January 7, 2020, the accused himself admitted that he had extensive discussions with his counsel on the need to engage a document examiner before the commencement of trial.
“This admission clearly negates the credibility of the applicant’s contention that the issue of the authenticity of the applicant’s signature was discovered during the prosecution's case. This admission further proves that there is no legal validity in this application which ought to be dismissed,” he said.
The prosecutor added that the accused's desperate attempt to bolster the application by vehemently requiring his signatures to be examined by an expert before the applicant will acknowledge any of his signatures only served to confirm their contention that it is an afterthought and full of mala fide.