Sessions Court judge Rozina Ayob set Jan 6, 2020 as the tentative date for Riza’s trial to commence after fiat prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said the prosecution would conduct the trial at the lower court.

“We have no instructions to transfer the case to the High Court,” he added.

Riza’s lawyer, Hariharan Singh, also said they had no instructions to move his money laundering case to the High Court.

The court then set Jan 6 to 9, and 13 to 16 as tentative trial dates.

Next case mention will be on Sept 20.

Sri Ram also informed the judge today that the prosecution team had delivered some of the trial documents to Riza’s lawyers.

“We are in the process of getting more documents from the US,” he said, adding that they would need a month for this.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib later told reporters that they are trying to obtain the bank statements from the US bank identified in Riza’s charges.

He said the prosecution had already surrendered several foreign bank statements to Riza’s lawyers.

Riza claimed trial to five money laundering charges amounting to US$248 million last month. He was accused of receiving funds from Good Star Ltd and Aabar Investments PJS Ltd, companies said to be linked to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho.

He was accused of receiving the money between April 2011 and Nov 2012 at City National Bank in Los Angeles, California as well as BSI Bank at Temasek Boulevard in Singapore.

If found guilty under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act, Riza could face jail of up to five years and a maximum fine of RM5 million or five times the amount of the proceeds, whichever is higher.