PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Razak has withdrawn his appeal to recuse judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah from presiding over his corruption trial involving the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) financial scandal.
Najib's lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, informed about this latest development before a three-member bench comprising judges Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali, Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Datuk Azman Abdullah today.
Shafee had applied to recuse Sequerah after the latter disclosed that former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo Ai Swan had been his former colleague while in practice about 10 to 15 years ago.
The Court of Appeal judge, who presided as the High Court judge, dismissed the former prime minister's application to recuse him on Aug 18, last year.
Shafee said the defence plans to address the issue in the main appeal of the case if necessary.
"The notice (of recusal) was filed in August last year before it was dismissed and the trial went on with Loo taking the witness stand and she testified over 10 days.
"It would be beneficial to address the matter later, once the full grounds of judgment from the main trial are available. We would have the fullest grounds available and know how the judge treats this witness's testimony," he said.
Deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar did not object to Shafee's application.
Shafee is expected to continue his submissions before Sequerah at the High Court at 2.30pm.
On Aug 18, last year, Sequerah in his ruling said there had been no communication between them since Loo left the firm 15 years ago.
He said there was no nexus between the issues in the trial and the past relationship between him and his former partner in legal practice.
"There was no inkling nor was there an iota of evidence to even form any basis upon which any form of relationship could possibly be conjured.
"Thus, there was no necessity on my part to disclose the fact of my past employment in the said law firm in the first place," he said.
Loo's name was heavily mentioned during Najib's ongoing trial for allegedly misappropriating RM2.3 billion from 1MDB.
It was reported that she was among the proxies working with fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low to misappropriate millions of ringgit from the fund.
Najib, 71, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.