Kuala lumpur: About 80 per cent of the 168-page witness statement of former 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi has been objected to on the grounds of hearsay. The objection was raised by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is the first defendant in 1MDB's US$5.64 billion civil suit against him and six others.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, 1MDB's counsel, Lee Shih, informed High Court Judicial Commissioner Mohamad Redzuan Idrus of this development. Lee stated, "My Lord, this morning, the parties were served with a table of objections concerning Shahrol Azral's witness statement, with about 80 per cent of its contents objected to on hearsay grounds." He further noted that time was needed to study these objections, although Shahrol Azral is prepared to give testimony starting tomorrow. The court has granted the request, allowing the trial to continue the following day.

Earlier, offshore asset recovery specialist Angela Barkhouse, the third plaintiff witness, was released from the witness stand after completing her testimony, which began on Monday. The civil suit, filed by 1MDB and its subsidiaries on May 7, 2021, involves several high-profile defendants, including Najib. The plaintiffs accuse the defendants of breach of trust, breach of statutory duty, abuse of power, and conspiracy to misappropriate 1MDB funds.