PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has fixed Aug 20 to hear Datuk Seri Najib Razak's appeal to recuse judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah from presiding over his corruption charges for misappropriating 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds.
The appellate court senior assistant registrar Nurul Azrina Mohamed Yusof fixed the date during the management of the case today.
The Court of Appeal judge, who presided as the High Court judge on Aug 18 last year, dismissed the former prime minister's application to recuse him over his relationship with former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo Ai Swan.
Najib's lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had filed the application to recuse Sequerah after the latter disclosed that Loo had been his former colleague while in practice about 10 to 15 years ago.
Sequerah in his ruling said there had been no communication between them since Loo left the firm 15 years ago.
He said there was no nexus between the issues in this trial and the past relationship between him and his former partner in legal practice.
"There was no inkling nor was there an iota of evidence to even form any basis upon which any form of relationship could possibly be conjured.
"Thus, there was no necessity on my part to disclose the fact of my past employment in the said law firm in the first place," he said.
Loo's name was heavily mentioned during Najib's ongoing trial for allegedly misappropriating RM2.3 billion from 1MDB.
It was reported that she was among the proxies working with fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low to misappropriate millions of ringgit from the fund.
Sequerah also dismissed Shafee's application to stay the proceedings pending appeal at the Court of Appeal.
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.
