Najib ditches Shafee, appoints Zaid to lead SRC final appeal

(FMT) – Najib Razak has appointed a new defence team led by former law minister Zaid Ibrahim to appear for him in his SRC International appeal at the Federal Court.

In a letter to the Federal Court, his former lawyers from Shafee & Co informed the court that Najib has discharged them.

“The appellant wishes to inform that he has appointed Zaid Ibrahim Suffian TH Liew & Partners as solicitors,” Shafee & Co said.

The SRC International final appeal is scheduled to be heard before the Federal Court for 10 days from Aug 15 to 26.

Lawyer Shafee Abdullah previously led the legal team defending Najib in the SRC International case.

Zaid served as the MP for Kota Bharu from 2004 to 2008, before being appointed a minister in the Cabinet of then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

As the de-facto law minister, he helped work out gratuity payments to former lord president Salleh Abas and five other ex-Supreme Court judges who were sacked in 1988 following a constitutional crisis.

Before entering politics, he had his own law firm, Zaid Ibrahim & Co. He has always been vocal on national issues, especially those impinging on the law and the Constitution.

In 2020, Najib was convicted on seven charges of power abuse, criminal breach of trust and money laundering in relation to RM42 million belonging to SRC International that was deposited into his bank accounts.

The court sentenced him to 12 years in jail and a RM210 million fine. He is out on bail pending his Federal Court hearing.