He conveyed the defence stand when the hearing resumed this afternoon.

“Just now, when Yang Arif (Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat) asked me whether I would be relying on the Court of Appeal’s (2021) written submissions, I said yes.

“At this juncture, I would like to put on record that I wish to file fresh written submissions,” he said.

However, he did not indicate when the defence would do so.

Earlier today, Tengku Maimun asked Hisyam if the defence would be relying on written submissions filed by former lawyers Shafee Abdullah and Harvinderjit Singh before the Court of Appeal, for the purpose of today’s hearing.

Hisyam responded in the affirmative.

The court had ordered Hisyam to stay in the defence team, despite the lawyer’s request to discharge himself as lead counsel citing lack of time in preparing the case.

The other judges sitting with Tengku Maimun in the SRC appeal hearing are Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judges Nallini Pathmanathan, Mary Lim and Zabidin Mohamad Diah.

The Federal Court had fixed Aug 15 to 26 to hear Najib’s appeal in his bid to quash his conviction for abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust over SRC funds amounting to RM42 million.

Last year, the appeals court affirmed the High Court’s July 2020 decision to convict Najib on all seven charges.

It also upheld Najib’s 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine.