PUTRAJAYA (Feb 20): A potential witness for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's defence in the ongoing 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB)-Tanore trial can't be located, the court was told on Thursday.
Najib’s defence team informed the court that Brian Chia, a former partner with Wong & Partners — the legal firm which advised the troubled state strategic development firm — was not responding to their attempts to contact him.
Defence counsel Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin said that they had been trying to get hold of Chia since January, but various attempts, including phone calls and asking around the legal fraternity, had not been successful.
"The best of our assumption [is that] he is not within the jurisdiction," Wan Azwan told the court.
Chia was initially included in the prosecution's list of witnesses for the trial, but was never called to testify. He was then offered as a witness to the defence after Najib's defence was called.
As he was the only witness slated to take the stand on Thursday afternoon, proceedings had to be vacated for the day.
Wan Azwan also asked for the prosecution's assistance to help locate Chia. To this, deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar said that they would try their best to assist the defence.
The defence has indicated that they will continue their case with other witnesses for the time being.
In this trial, Najib is accused of four abuse of power and 21 money-laundering charges.
Presiding judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah had ordered the ex-PM to enter his defence for all charges, after finding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against him.
The trial continues on Friday.