Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak leaves the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex July 15, 2019 — Picture by Firdaus Latif
KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s ongoing corruption trial can end earlier tomorrow to allow the Pekan MP to show up in Parliament for debates and expected voting on a law change for Malaysia’s voting age to be lowered to 18 years old. High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali allowed an application by Najib’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah for his client’s proceedings to end earlier at close to 11am.
“As the defence gave advance notice to attend Parliament and given the importance of subject matter, I agree that proceedings end tomorrow at 11am for the accused to exercise his duty,” the judge ruled. The judge, however, said that a replacement for tomorrow on the morning of August 16 would be required, if the prosecution has not completed its case by then.The government is expected to table the Bill to amend the Federal Constitution to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 for the third reading tomorrow.