PUTRAJAYA, April 9 -- Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is planning to call in the director of the Malaysian government's witness protection programme as a defence witness for his trial involving more than RM2 billion of alleged 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds in his bank account.

But the Prime Minister's Department's Protection Division, which oversees the witness protection programme, today objected to the subpoena - a court order issued at Najib's request - to summon and compel the director to appear in court as a defence witness.

Najib's lead defence lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, informed the High Court today that he would call "the director in charge of protective custody in Putrajaya" as a defence ...