LAWYER and podcaster Liyana Marzuki has highlighted why the Malaysian court dismissed former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s defence that billions of ringgit in his personal account were donations from an Arab king.
She stressed that solid money trail evidence overwhelmingly favoured the prosecution in the 1MDB scandal.
In a recent podcast episode, Marzuki explained that in anti-money laundering cases, the money trail, meticulously traced by professional analysts showing funds’ origin, global movements, and final destination, is the most powerful and credible form of proof.
Malaysian prosecutors built their case on exactly this. Expert testimonies from Bank Negara Malaysia, bank compliance officers, authenticated international bank statements, and SWIFT transaction records demonstrated 1MDB funds were laundered before landing in Najib’s personal account.
Similar money trail evidence secured convictions abroad in Switzerland, Singapore, and the United States, including those of bankers Tim Leissner and Roger Ng.
In contrast, Najib’s defence, led by lawyer Shafee Abdullah, relied solely on photocopied letters purporting to confirm the Saudi royal donation.
These lacked original documents, certified true copies, supporting witnesses, or any Saudi government representation. The alleged author of the letters was never called to testify.
High Court Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah ruled the letters fake and inadmissible under the Evidence Act, finding them unreliable due to the complete absence of corroboration.
Marzuki emphasised that to counter strong prosecution money trail evidence, the defence needed equivalent proof, such as verified bank records or official Saudi endorsements.
But none was provided, leaving the court with little choice but to accept the prosecution’s version. — Focus Malaysia
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.