May 20 to hear Najib's bid for bank documents with alleged 1MDB links

 

May 20 has been fixed for a court hearing of Najib Abdul Razak’s bid to compel the government to hand over bank documents with alleged links to 1MDB.

The documents encompass the ones involving companies linked to the family of former Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Abdul Aziz.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning set the date to hear the former prime minister’s discovery application.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam confirmed that judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah set the hearing date.

“The hearing is set on May 20,” Mustaffa said.

On March 24, Pekan MP Najib’s legal team filed the discovery application.

The bank documents sought are related to allegations which first surfaced last year that Zeti’s family received monies from 1MDB-linked fugitive Low Taek Jho. She denied the allegations.

According to the supporting affidavit signed by Najib, the former premier made reference to an online news article claiming that certain members of Zeti’s family made statutory declarations to relinquish claims on monies in certain bank accounts in Singapore.

The news article in question is a report by news portal Free Malaysia Today on Dec 31, last year.

 Najib also claimed that the bank documents were referred to by 1MDB investigating officer R Rajagopal.

“I verily believe that the bank documents that were handed over to Bank Negara and the supporting documents having to do with Rajagopal’s statement, are relevant and material for the purpose of the 1MDB trial and also for my defence,” Najib claimed.

The former finance minister claimed that the documents are critical to his defence against his ongoing 1MDB criminal trial as Zeti was the then Bank Negara governor.

“Zeti has been listed as a witness in the 1MDB trial as stated in Exhibit DSN-10. Therefore, the bank documents are very relevant to my defence,” Najib claimed.

The former chairperson of 1MDB’s board of advisers contended that the documents are important when his defence team cross-examines Zeti in the 1MDB criminal trial.

Among the companies listed in Najib’s motion are Aktis Capital Singapore Private Limited, Country Group Securities Public Company Limited, ACME Time Limited (BVI), Butamba Investment Limited, Central Holding Limited, Iron Rhapsody Limited, Cutting Edge Industries, and law firm Sherman and Sterling LLC.

It is understood that Country Group Securities, ACME Time, Butamba Investment and Central Holding are alleged to be linked to Low, who is also known as Jho Low.

Aktis Capital Singapore is alleged to have links to an associate of Jho Low.

It is understood that Iron Rhapsody and Cutting Edge are allegedly linked to Zeti’s family. - Mkini