Fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho wanted four letters from a Saudi Arabian prince purportedly promising donations to Najib Abdul Razak to be kept away from the public, the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard.
The former prime minister’s then-banker Joanna Yu testified today that Low (also known as Jho Low) told her this via a Blackberry Messenger (BBM) message on June 23, 2014.
During the RM2.28 billion 1MDB corruption trial against former finance minister Najib today, the 41st prosecution witness was shown a transcript of the alleged conversation.
It showed Low (above) purportedly telling her that Najib had instructed that the “gift letters” from Prince Faisal were not to be made public.
When deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram asked what she understood from the message, Yu replied that the letters were to confirm that the funds coming into Najib’s account were the result of the alleged Arab donations.
Sri Ram: What was the purpose of the message?
Yu: To make sure those letters were not to be given to the public. It was supposed to be treated as confidential.
She explained that she understood the letters were only to be relied on by AmBank’s then managing director Cheah Tek Kuang to be shown to then Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, but that Cheah was to take it back after it was shown to Zeti.
When Sri Ram asked whether the BBM messages were conveyed to Cheah, Yu testified in the affirmative.
“Yes. I mentioned that if anything, the governor (Zeti) can actually refer back to the account holder (Najib),” the former AmBank relationship manager testified.
Previously as the 38th prosecution witness, Cheah testified that Yu gave him a single copy of one of the four Arab letters in order to be shown to Zeti as part of the then-incoming millions of ringgit of purported donation from Saudi Arabia.
Najib’s defence team had previously shown to the court copies of these alleged Arab letters promising donations due to the accused for “good work to promote Islam around the world.”
In reply to a question from Sri Ram, Yu added that she has never received any money from Najib, Low, or Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil. Nik Faisal was the mandate holder of the accused’s account.
The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah resumes this afternoon.
These purported Arab letters were rejected by the court in a separate RM42 million SRC International corruption case against Najib.
Najib’s 25 1MDB charges
Najib is on trial for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion from 1MDB.
In relation to the four abuse of power charges, the incumbent Pekan MP was alleged to have committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Berhad’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch in Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur, between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014.
On the 21 money laundering counts, the former finance minister was purported to have committed the offences at the same bank between March 22, 2013, and Aug 30, 2013.
The prosecution contended that the wrongdoing at 1MDB was carried out by Low and several others with Najib’s blessing.
However, the accused’s defence team claimed that Najib had no knowledge of the crime perpetrated at 1MDB and the embezzlement was solely masterminded by Jho Low and other members of the fund’s management.
1MDB is wholly owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc).
Najib also used to be the chairperson of 1MDB’s board of advisers.
The BN advisory chairperson is serving a 12-year jail sentence after the Federal Court on Aug 23 dismissed his appeal against the SRC conviction over seven criminal charges, the custodial term, and an RM210 million fine in lieu of an additional five years in jail.
Initially a subsidiary of 1MDB, SRC later became fully owned by MOF Inc. Najib also used to be adviser emeritus to SRC. - Mkini
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