I was not informed 1MDB management worked in silos: Ex-board member

Businessperson Low Taek Jho’s alleged directive that the 1MDB management needs to work in silos cannot be an excuse to avoid responsibility, according to Ismee Ismail.

Ismee (above), a former board member of the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, told the High Court in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon that he was never informed by any member of management that they were directed to do this by Low (also known as Jho Low).

The 13th prosecution witness was agreeing during cross-examination by defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah during this afternoon’s RM2.28 billion 1MDB corruption trial against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

In past proceedings before trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, 1MDB’s former CEOs Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi and Mohd Hazem Abd Rahman, as well as its former chief financial officer Azmi Tahir testified for the prosecution that they were told by Low to work in silos.

In previous proceedings, Najib’s legal team had contended that the former prime minister had no knowledge of wrongdoings at 1MDB, and that wrongdoings there were committed solely by members of management in cahoots with Low.

However, the prosecution countered that Low operated on the authority of Najib, who was also the finance minister then, as well as chairperson of 1MDB’s board of advisors.

Fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho

Shafee: The three witnesses (Shahrol, Hazem and Azmi) said they worked in silos (as allegedly directed by Low). I am suggesting to you that working in a silo is an excuse for every single witness. They come here, so they can avoid answering why they did not check the papers (documents on transferring funds out of 1MDB). 

Why do they send RM1 billion (of 1MDB funds) to an entity (one of Low’s alleged companies) which has nothing to do with the project (the joint venture project between Malaysia’s 1MDB and Abu Dhabi’s Petrosaudi International)?

Ismee: In my personal view, you cannot use that as an excuse.

The trial before Sequerah is set to resume tomorrow morning.

Najib is on trial for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion of 1MDB’s funds.

The offences were allegedly committed between February 2011 and August 2013.

The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram. - Mkini