Najib, ex-IGP didn’t intervene in 1MDB probe, former cop tells court

 

A former police investigating officer told the High Court that neither the then prime minister Najib Razak nor former inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar had given him instructions over the 1MDB probe.

PUTRAJAYA: 

A former police officer testified in the High Court today that neither the then prime minister Najib Razak nor former inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar intervened in his investigation into 1MDB.

During re-examination by Najib’s lead counsel Shafee Abdullah, former investigating officer R Rajagopal told the court that no higher-ups had ever ordered him to delay or stop the investigation.

Shafee: Did the IGP ever instruct you to delay or withhold the investigation?

Rajagopal: No. I did not receive any such instruction from the IGP.

Shafee: Much of your investigation took place during Najib’s tenure as prime minister. Did he ever call you in to brief him about 1MDB?

Rajagopal: Never.

Shafee: During Najib’s time in office, did you or your team ever receive any instruction to withhold the investigation?

Rajagopal: After I took over, there was no such instruction.

Earlier, Rajagopal told the court that he had taken over the investigation team from his superior Latt Mazura Mansor, who was removed from the team.

“I was part of the investigation team and was instructed to continue with the investigation,” he said, adding that the change took place in September 2015.

He added that the instruction to take over came from Bukit Aman commercial crime investigation department deputy director Mortadza Nazarene.

Yesterday, Rajagopal testified that he was called to brief newly-minted prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on the 1MDB investigation at the Perdana Leadership Foundation five days after Mahathir came to power in May 2018.

Rajagopal said Khalid’s successor Fuzi Harun, Bukit Aman CCID director Amar Singh and he had briefed Mahathir with the aid of a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.

Mahathir had then instructed them to complete the investigation, the court was told.

He said he informed Mahathir that the investigation was limited to Malaysia, even though a significant portion of evidence was located in foreign jurisdictions.

As such, they had to seek mutual legal assistance from foreign authorities.

During today’s proceedings, Shafee also asked the retired police officer whether he had any direct evidence that Najib had directed where the 1MDB funds should go.

“I did not come across such evidence. But based on how the company operated under its memorandum and articles of association (M&A), any transaction had to be decided by the board (of directors) and approved by the shareholder (Najib) before it could be carried out,” he said.

Najib, who was also the finance minister at the time, was the sole shareholder of 1MDB. The troubled company was under the Minister of Finance Incorporated.

Najib is standing trial on 25 counts of money laundering and abuse of power involving RM2.28 billion in alleged 1MDB funds deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

The hearing continues tomorrow. - FMT