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At a press conference, Najib’s lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, maintained that the former Pekan MP’s appeal in the Federal Court had “serious defects” and went against the “rules of international justice”.
Najib began his 12-year jail sentence in August after the apex court affirmed his conviction and sentence in the SRC case.
Shafee said UNWGAD is expected to have its first 2023 meeting soon.
“How fast they will decide (on the petition), I can’t be certain,” he said.
He also said the defence team may extend a copy of the petition to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who he claimed is a strong UNWGAD supporter.
“A copy (has been sent) to the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ International Affairs Division as a courtesy,” he said.
He said that despite the UNWGAD filing, the defence team intends to proceed with the SRC review application scheduled to be heard in the Federal Court between Jan 19 and 26.
“We have learnt that there are six Federal Court judges who are qualified to hear the review.
“So, we are okay with a five-judge panel,” he said, adding that the defence had previously requested a seven-judge coram.
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