KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 18): The 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB)-Tanore trial was granted a short break during its morning session today as accused former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had to attend a Barisan Nasional (BN) meeting over the choice of a new prime minister and the forming of a new government.

At the trial this morning which began at 9.40am, Najib's lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah initially asked presiding Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah to end proceedings today at 10.45am.

Shafee said that Najib, in his capacity as BN adviser, had to attend a meeting with other BN party leaders to "make decisions and decide on certain names".

However, the judge said that he could not allow the whole day to be taken out and instead they could take some time out today for Najib to attend the meeting.

"I can accommodate the meeting, but we need to have this case moving also.

"We will carry on with the case now and stop at 10.45am. Then we will resume at 2.30pm," said Sequerah.

Shafee was appreciative of Sequerah's gesture but asked if they could resume at 3pm seeing as how political meetings of this nature could take longer than expected.

"My client says it would be safer to resume at 3pm, but we will try for 2.30pm and see how it goes," Shafee said.

Before the end of proceedings for the morning session, Sequerah said that he was only allowing the break due to the peculiar political circumstances in the country at the moment.

"I would just like to state for the record that I am allowing the accused to attend this meeting because of the peculiar circumstances of our country at this time.

"There is some importance for this meeting to achieve some resolution, and it is only because of that. I don't want to give the impression that any other meetings or events would be allowed," he said.

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