JHO LOW WAS ESPECIALLY CLOSE TO ROSMAH – ‘HE WAS YOUNG BUT HE HAD CHARISMA & INCREDIBLE POWER – EVERY ORDER HE GAVE WOULD BE UNDERTAKEN BY EVERYONE’

LOW Taek Jho was in Najib Razak and Rosmah Mansor’s inner circle years before Najib became prime minister, a key witness in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd trial said today.

Amhari Efendi Nazrauddin – served as special officer on economic affairs to Najib during his tenure as prime minister – also told the court that Low held “extraordinary powers” because of his behind-the-scene work with Najib.

Amhari, who became Najib’s special officer in 2008, said he first met Low in Penang in 2007 when he was serving as a special officer to the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) under Mohd Effendi Norwawi.

“I was introduced to Jho by Effendi’s communications officer Dennis See. He told me that we are going to meet someone who is very close to Najib, who was the defence minister and deputy prime minister at that time,” he said.

“At that meeting, the way Jho spoke about Najib’s family, it appeared to be that he was in the inner circle of Najib and Rosmah Mansor’s family.”  

Amhari said Low became close to Najib’s family through his stepson, Riza Aziz, who had known Low since they were teenagers.

The witness went on to testify that although Low was young, he had “charisma and extraordinary powers” when it came to the dealings with Najib.

“Jho would direct us from the prime minister’s office, especially Najib’s private secretary Azlin Alias, executing Najib’s orders.”

Low was also known as the “unofficial adviser” to Najib when executing behind-the-scene tasks involving international trips, work visits and investment opportunities, especially with 1MDB.

Not once did Amhari and Azlin question Low’s instructions, the court was told.

“There were occasions where we would double check (on instructions given by Low) with Najib just to be sure. Most of the time, Najib would say that Jho’s instructions had been sanctioned by him (Najib).”

Amhari said Low would always meet the pair at Prince Hotel in Kuala Lumpur at night to relay instructions passed on by Najib.

“Before our meetings, Jho would go to Najib’s house in Langgak Duta to get approval of documents from Najib to discuss with us.”

Although Najib did not directly instruct them to meet Low, they knew he gave the instructions to the latter, he said.

“We had to follow those instructions because we didn’t want to disobey orders and our position at work… Azlin was a loyalist to Najib, I have never once seen him disobey Najib.”

Documents relating to the meetings were shared via emails, he said.

“After 1MDB matter blew out in the open, the emails were locked with passwords, which were shared with me and Datuk Azlin via BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) messages.”

At that time, Amhari and Azlin would be escorted by a couple of Malay bodyguards and quarantined for 30 minutes to one hour before each meeting, which was held in different rooms in Prince Hotel.

“Jho was always rushing, always late.”

During the meetings, Amhari said he mostly kept to himself, playing with his phone or just analysing what he could.

“The discussions between Jho and Azlin were always very quick. Jho is easy to approach and always smiles. He will say he has met Najib prior to the meetings.”

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Jho Low was very close to Rosmah, says Najib’s former aide

KUALA LUMPUR: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor was particularly close to fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, or better known as Jho Low, the High Court here heard.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s former special officer Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin said the former prime minister’s wife would always contact Low, but he was unsure as to the details of the conversations.

Amhari, who had worked with Najib for some 10 years, said Low became close to the couple when he got to know Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz (Rosmah’ son) when he was a teenager.

“Rosmah had no objections to Jho Low getting close to them. He was young, but he had charisma and incredible power.

“Every order given by Jho Low would be undertaken by everyone. He was like the unofficial advisor to Najib for many matters, including politics and funds received by Najib,” he said before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah on the third day of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial on Tuesday (Sept 3).

In September 2008 when Amhari reported for work as the special officer to Najib, who was then deputy prime minister, he recalled Jho Low sending him a text message saying: “Bro, I heard you are in TPM Office, congratulations and we will be closely in touch”.

Amhari was a Bank Negara scholar who studied economics at the University of Warwick.

He joined the central bank’s economy department after graduating in 1999 and was then seconded to the Economic Planning Unit under the Prime Minister’s Department in 2006, serving under former minister Datuk Seri Mohd Effendi Norwawi at the time.

Amhari returned to Bank Negara in early 2008 and two months later, he was contacted by Najib’s special officer Datuk Wan Shihab to attend an interview to be Najib’s special officer. THE STAR

THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT / THE STAR