As the prosecution’s case ended at the SRC International trial today, Najib Razak’s lawyer has complained about the bench in the dock and how it was giving the former prime minister’s rear pains.
All the seats in the Kuala Lumpur High Court are cushioned except for the bench in the dock which has left Najib with a sore behind, according to Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
He requested Attorney-General Tommy Thomas and the court to soften the wooden seat on which the former premier is forced to sit on for hours on a daily basis.
“You guys are in the (gallery). You’ve got a layer of cushion… Even then I’m told by (a senior journalist) that he has (posterior) pains because it is still quite hard.
“Imagine, (the accused has to) sit down there on a plank for hours… I invite you to sit there for just one hour. As young as you are, your buttocks are fleshier than Najib’s. Let’s see if you can handle it.
“It goes against the concept of innocent until proven guilty. You are already punishing my client,” he told reporters when met outside the courtroom.
Shafee said padding the bench would not be expensive.
“I’m sure some of you have relatives who have been charged. You don’t want that relative to be seated like this, to be treated like an animal, because he’s not guilty yet,” he added.
Shafee said the accused should not be put in a fenced-off dock because Najib was on bail and would not abscond.
Currently, Najib is seated against two cushions, usually carried into the court by an aide.