‘MAKE SURE NAJIB DOESN’T KNOW’ – HIMSELF CHARGED WITH RECEIVING RM10 MIL FROM ‘MISLED’ NAJIB, YET SHAFEE CLAIMS JHO LOW CONSPIRED WITH BANKER TO KEEP EX-PM IN THE DARK ABOUT MONEY IN HIS AMBANK ACCOUNTS – WILL JHO LOW BACK UP NAJIB HERE?

Witness told to bring evidence of banker’s conversation with Jho Low

5.15pm – Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom Najib’s lead defence counsel Shafee says they needed the evidence seized from Ambank’s relationship manager Yu to prove that the former premier has no knowledge of the purported wrongdoing that he was charged with.

He is commenting on judge Nazlan’s decision to allow the defence’s application for fourth prosecution witness, Bank Negara’s then investigation officer with its Financial Intelligence And Enforcement Department, to produce the documents and other items he seized from Yu in a raid at the bank at Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur, on July 6, 2015.

“It is especially true in this case as he (Najib) does not deal with accounts (at Ambank) directly.

“That is why you see name of Nik Faisal (Ariff Kamil), his secretary who had died, and Jho Low, and what directions they gave the bank (Ambank). That is relevant (to Najib’s defence).

“I know of the (alleged) Blackberry communication as it is (reported by) Sarawak Report, (the book) ‘Billion Dollar Whale’, and all the articles by the Wall Street Journal.

“Those conversations between Joanna Yu and Jho Low is critical as it suggests that Jho Low is trying to tell Joanna about these monetary transactions, make sure prime minister (Najib) does not know,” claims Shafee.

5.00pm – Judge Nazlan allows an application by Najib’s defence team to compel Farhan to produce evidence detailing the conversation between Ambank banker Joanna Yu Ging Ping and fugitive Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low.

In earlier testimony, Farhan testified having gone to Ambank’s Jalan Raja Chulan on July 6, 2015 when the bank was being raided by three separate Bank Negara teams. He said that he had met Yu there, where she had handed over the evidence.

Nazlan rules that the application for the seized documentary evidence held by Farhan is relevant to Najib’s defence.

Harvinderjit tells the court that the defence needs the emails and Blackberry phone that Farhan seized from Ambank’s relationship manager Yu, which may contain conversations between her and Low as well as several individuals linked to the case.

Aside from Low, other names that the lawyer lists out are Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, Jerome Lee Tak Loong, Terrence Geh Choh Heng, Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, Shahrol Azral Ibrahim, Mohammed Azhar Osman Khairuddin, Ismee Ismail, and See Yoke Peng.

Nazlan remarks that this assumes the witness has the evidence related to the names that can be produced in court, to which Harvinderjit agrees.

Shafee then adds that what the defence seeks also includes official recordings that the bank may have on alleged Blackberry communications with other people in a manner that is not sanctioned by Bank Negara.

However, Nazlan allows the witness time to look through what seized evidence he may in his safekeeping.

The judge then allows the proceedings to resume at 9am tomorrow with a different prosecution witness if Farhan has yet to gather the evidence to be produced in court for Najib’s defence team to scrutinise by then. -mkini

Shafee claims Najib a victim of Jho Low’s conspiracy

KUALA LUMPUR — Lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah alleged today that his client Datuk Seri Najib Razak was a victim of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho’s conspiracy.“We know our client is innocent because our client is a victim. I dare tell you that he is a victim of conspiracy of Jho Low and gang,” he told the press at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex here, referring to Najib.

“So give him a chance. You have to prove that he is part of Jho Low’s conspiracy,” he added, directing the remark to the prosecution.

Earlier today, during Najib’s corruption trial over RM42 million of ex-1MDB unit SRC International Sdn Bhd’s funds at the High Court, Najib’s lawyers had sought for communication records between Low and AmBank officer Joanna Yu Ging Ping that were seized by Bank Negara Malaysia investigators.

“The communication [transcript] will show whether Najib is complicit in the criminality or not.

“He was misled. He is a victim and not an accused person,” Muhammad Shafee said, again referring to Najib.

Muhammad Shafee said the communication transcripts would reveal if Najib was in the loop in relation to instructions on banking transactions involving accounts at AmBank and its money source.

“If he is not part of it… he is not in the loop, how can you say whether he is in the know about the [money] source and criminality?

That is the reason why we want the communication,” he said. – MALAY MAIL

MKINI / MALAY MAIL