PUTRAJAYA (March 12): Court of Appeal judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah expressed frustration on Wednesday over delays in the 1Malaysia-Development Bhd (1MDB)-Tanore trial, as former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s lawyers failed to propose alternative dates to replace vacated ones.

This led Sequerah to remark that although the trial is at its "tail end", the "tail is very long".

Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah could not suggest new dates, citing a packed schedule with other cases.

The exchange became heated, with Sequerah emphasising the trial’s prolonged duration and urging that it must not continue indefinitely.

Sequerah: This trial has dragged on for too long…there must be light at the end of the tunnel. [It is] approaching seven years now.

Shafee: Yes Yang Arif, but that is the nature of this case. You have never seen anything like it before, whether in practice or on the bench.

Sequerah: Yes, but the trial keeps prolonging. You cannot keep prolonging.

Shafee: But not at the expense of my health.

Sequerah: No, no, but just get more dates.

Sequerah, who will reach retirement age next year, warned both parties not to drag the trial out further.

The mandatory retirement age is 66, but judges may be given a six-month extension.

The prosecution and defence are expected to finalise more trial dates by the end of the day.

Defence witness and retired police investigation officer R Rajagopal then took the stand for Shafee’s examination-in-chief.

In this trial, Najib is accused of four abuse of power and 21 money-laundering charges.

Sequerah had ordered the former finance minister to enter his defence for all charges, after finding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against him.