KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak's defence team will file an application with the High Court to interview Roger Ng Chong Hwa, a former banker and key figure in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) financial scandal.
Najib's lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said the application would be filed this afternoon before Court of Appeal judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who is presiding over Najib's corruption trial for misappropriating billions of 1MDB funds.
"Ng was brought back to Malaysia recently and we want to interview him for this case. We also want to see if the prosecution will assist us or not... let's see this later," he said in a press conference at the court complex here today.
When asked about the possibility of calling Ng as a defence witness, the senior lawyer said, "We will decide after interviewing him."
In a separate matter, Shafee criticised the United States (US) for obstructing his client from obtaining crucial evidence needed for Najib's defence in his trial.
The former prime minister in his testimony said the evidence included critical documents from the Goldman Sachs Group and testimony of rogue banker Tim Leissner, the company's former Southeast Asia head.
Najib filed a petition in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, seeking a court ruling to issue subpoenas to Leissner and Goldman Sachs Group, which was subsequently granted.
However, he claimed that the United States, through its Department of Justice (DoJ), had intervened to stay the proceedings.
Shafee said this obstruction raised profound concerns about fairness and transparency, particularly when the withheld evidence had the potential to exonerate his client.
"By blocking access to such critical evidence, the DoJ's actions undermine the principles of due process and the right to a fair trial. As a nation that champions human rights, this is hypocrisy of the highest order," he said.
Shafee said Najib was committed to uncovering the truth and ensuring justice remains steadfast.