Deputy public prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz informed High Court judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin this during mention of the case today.

However, Afzainizam did not disclose who the witnesses are when asked by reporters after the proceedings.

The court was also told that the defence, represented by lawyer Sarah Abishegam, has two appeals pending on the case before the Court of Appeal.

“We are asking for his two appeals to be disposed of pending the start of this trial,” she said.

Shafee had filed two appeals over the appointment of Gopal Sri Ram as ad hoc prosecutor and to recuse him from leading the prosecution in his money laundering case.

Sarah also said the senior lawyer is handling Najib Razak’s 1MDB and its related cases. “It would be very taxing for counsel to handle the client’s cases as well as his own,” she said, adding that the main 1MDB case has been fixed for hearing until the end of June.

To that, Jamil said the court can set trial dates from March. “The trial needs to go on, regardless of how the Court of Appeal rules (on both appeals). Maybe we can block some dates first as this case is over two years old.”

He then set May 7, 21 and 28 and June 4 and 11 as trial dates, with the hearing continuing on July 1, 2, 21 and 22 and Aug 6.

Shafee faces four counts of money laundering involving RM9.5 million he allegedly received from Najib between 2013 and 2014, as well as making inaccurate statements in his tax returns for both years.