KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the defence has submitted a total of 2,500 pages of arguments for Datuk Seri Najib Razak's 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) corruption trial.
The prominent lawyer who appeared for the former prime minister said this was due to the overwhelming evidence, to emphasise their point on why the court should consider their arguments thoroughly.
"This is to show that the charges are defective, especially the four principal charges.
"The charges suffer from defects such as multiplicity and duplicity, which lead to ambiguity," he said before beginning his submissions before Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah today.
Najib, 70, 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.
The former Pekan member of parliament is charged under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act (MACC), which provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of up to five times the amount or value of the bribe, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if found guilty.
For the 21 charges of money laundering, the former Pekan member of parliament is accused of committing the offences between March 22, 2013, and Aug 30, 2013.
All charges are under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (AMLATFA), which carries a maximum fine of RM5 million and imprisonment of up to five years, or both, upon conviction.