Why did Najib fail to compel 1MDB company secretaries as witnesses?

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Najib's Attempt to Compel 1MDB Company Secretaries as Witnesses Was Ruled an Abuse of Court Process

The High Court ruled that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's bid to compel two company secretaries of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to appear as defence witnesses was an abuse of the court process. Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah determined that the documents Najib sought from the company secretaries constituted a "fishing expedition" and were not relevant to the charges faced by the former premier. Consequently, 1MDB's application to set aside the subpoenas issued for the company secretaries was allowed.
Documents Sought Deemed Irrelevant and Privileged

The court found that the 1MDB board meeting documents Najib aimed to obtain were irrelevant to his charges. Justice Sequerah noted that the alleged offences occurred before 2018, while the documents Najib requested spanned from 2018 to 2024. Furthermore, 1MDB successfully argued that these documents were covered by litigation privilege and legal professional privilege, as they contained confidential information exchanged between 1MDB and its legal counsel, and this privilege had not been waived.
Bid Characterised as a "Fishing Expedition"

Justice Sequerah explicitly described Najib's attempt to procure 1MDB board documents through the company secretaries as a "fishing expedition." This characterisation implies an unfocused and broad search for evidence without a specific, justifiable basis related to the charges. The court agreed with 1MDB's assertion that this effort constituted an abuse of the court process, indicating that the request was not a genuine attempt to gather relevant defence material but rather a speculative probe.
Subpoenas Set Aside by the High Court

As a result of these findings, the High Court allowed 1MDB's application to set aside two subpoenas that had been issued on February 4 and served on February 5 to company secretaries Saiful Nizam Yasin and Nor Faziana Zakaria. These court orders would have mandated their appearance in court as defence witnesses for Najib. The judge's decision meant that these individuals would not be compelled to testify under these subpoenas.

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Why did Najib fail to compel 1MDB company secretaries as witnesses?

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