Many Malaysians have my number: Najib on Jho Low having his contact

 

Former premier Najib Abdul Razak testified he was not completely certain how 1MDB-linked fugitive Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) got his contact number.

However, the finance minister told the Kuala Lumpur High Court this afternoon that it could be due to the businessperson's brother, Low Taek Szen being acquainted with his stepson, Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz (Riza Aziz).

"I am not entirely certain when Jho Low obtained my mobile phone number.

"However, I became acquainted with him through my stepson Riza, who knew Jho Low's younger brother, Taek Szen, from their time together in London, specifically at the London School of Economics (LSE).

"This family connection likely facilitated Jho Low's access to my contact information. At the same time, many Malaysians would also have my mobile number.

"This, I must say is the Malaysian political culture, not just with me but also previous prime ministers and other ministers," Najib testified against the RM2.27 billion 1MDB abuse of power and money laundering case.

However, the accused contended he never authorised Low to use this phone privilege to communicate with his officers to convey directions.

"No, never. Moreover, I would expect my officers to decline such representation by Jho Low without counter-checking with me," Najib reiterated his contention he had no knowledge of the businessperson masterminding wrongdoing at 1MDB.

Prosecutors claimed that Low was involved in the financial wrongdoing at 1MDB at the behest of Najib.

However, the former Pekan MP contended that he did not know of wrongdoing at the sovereign wealth fund. Low and members of its management solely perpetrated the embezzlement there.

Ordered to enter defence

On Oct 30, the criminal court ordered Najib to enter his defence over four abuse of power and 21 money laundering charges involving RM2.27 billion of funds from 1MDB.

Sequerah ruled that the prosecution succeeded in establishing a prima facie (answerable) case against Najib over the Minister of Finance Incorporated’s (MOF Inc) wholly owned company.

The judge ruled that Najib had to answer the charges due to the strength of the various 50 witness testimonies during the prosecution stage of proceedings that lasted six years since the trial began in 2019. The accused was first charged in 2018.

Najib is serving a six-year jail sentence over a separate abuse of power case involving RM42 million of funds from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB.

He is also facing an ongoing criminal trial for the RM27 million SRC money laundering case.

Previously, Najib was acquitted in another criminal case involving 1MDB’s audit report.

He was also granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal on Nov 27 in the RM6.6 billion International Petroleum Investment Company criminal breach of trust case. - Mkini