AS EXPECTED, NAJIB BLAMES JHO LOW – DRAGS IN TERENGGANU SULTAN

Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak admitted in court today that he had known 1MDB-linked businessperson Low Taek Jho and he believed that the man could ease Malaysia’s investment dealings in the Middle East.

Testifying in the High Court in Kuala Lumpur in his SRC International criminal trial, Najib said Low, who is better known as Jho Low, had presented himself as someone who was influential in the Middle East.

In answering a question from defence lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah if Jho Low had any role in 1MDB after the company was taken over by the federal government, Najib said Low had been there since the company was first set up as the Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA) in 2009.

Jho Low was then the adviser to Terengganu Ruler Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin in TIA, Najib said. For the record, Sultan Mizan was also the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at that time.

“Jho Low was the adviser to Tuanku Mizan in TIA. He had represented himself as someone with a big influence in the Middle East, which made me believe that he should be able to assist in investment dealings and shareholdings with them,” Najib said, reading from a prepared witness statement.

“At that time, these countries, meaning the countries in the Middle East, were already having cash overflow due to the increase in oil price. Thus, I was of the opinion that the influence and connection that Jho Low had would be able to ease 1MDB in achieving its objectives and investments as intended.”

It was the first day Najib testified from the witness stand after being called to enter his defence.

This was also the first time a former Malaysian prime minister has testified as a witness in a criminal trial involving himself.

According to Najib, Low was a close acquaintance of Sultan Mizan and his sister Tengku Rahimah Sultan Mahmud.

The concept of TIA, which is now known as 1MDB, was born from discussions between Sultan Mizan, Low and the Terengganu government.

“The concept of TIA, as I understand it, had come from discussions between Jho Low and His Royal Highness, and the Terengganu government,” Najib added.

“I was made to understand that Jho Low was appointed as an adviser to the then chairperson of TIA Board of Advisors, which was Tuanku himself.”

Read the live coverage of Najib’s testimony here.

Defence cries Najib’s innocence, throws blame on Jho Low

 Najib Abdul Razak was himself a victim of businessperson Low Taek Jho and four mystery Arab men, his defence team maintained today.

Lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said Low, more popularly known as Jho Low, was the “leader of the pack” for the scheme and had conspired to keep Najib, then prime minister and finance minister, in the dark.

He also claimed the entire SRC International and 1MDB management teams had been “paid off” by the fugitive Low.

As such, despite Najib serving as SRC’s advisor emeritus, the sole shareholder of SRC as well as of 1MDB, Shafee said his client was, in fact, a victim of the financial scandal which rocked the two companies.

He was speaking to reporters outside the Kuala Lumpur High Court today where Najib had taken to the stand to defend himself in the RM42 million criminal trial involving Ministry of Finance Inc’s SRC International – a former 1MDB subsidiary.

“The crux of my defence is that the entire scheme was devised by Jho Low, together with four Arabs, two from Saudi Arabia and another two from Abu Dhabi,” said Shafee during the press conference.

“And the entire management of 1MDB and SRC were all paid off by Jho Low, (they were) all eating out of Jho Low’s palm.”

Shafee, however, did not reveal the identity of the four Arab men in question. He, however, then questioned the authorities’ failure in tracking down Low, who is wanted in Malaysia and several other countries in relation to the 1MDB scandal, despite repeated assurance by IGP Abdul Hamid Bador that the fugitive will be caught.

“I don’t see the shadow of Jho low. So what happened? Are they purposely hiding Jho Low from us? Because if he (Low) turns up today in this court and is arrested, my client’s defence is 100 percent better,” he said.

In his opening statement in court today, Shafee had criticised the prosecution’s decision to withhold Low’s witness statement after being questioned by the MACC years ago.

On Nov 15, the High Court had denied Najib’s application to compel the prosecution to hand over statements of witnesses interviewed by the MACC and police and did not testify during the prosecution stage of the trial. This includes Low.

During the press conference, Shafee further pointed to the previous testimony of former AmBank relationship manager, Yu Ging Ping, who had testified that Low had instructed her to hide details of Najib’s account from the then-premier.

Shafee questioned if Najib wasn’t part of the conspiracy by asking: “Why was Jho Low interested in making sure Najib didn’t see his statement of account? It’s a simple question you should ask yourself.

“So Najib is not part of the conspiracy. Najib is a victim, as much as the rest of the victims in 1MDB and SRC.”

Yu, a prosecution witness, had testified in July that Low had insisted that bank statements from Najib’s account at AmBank should not be sent to his Taman Duta residence in Kuala Lumpur.

She had also claimed to have been instructed by Low and former SRC International CEO Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil not to disclose Najib’s name whenever funds were deposited into his account.

Throughout the press conference, Shafee continued to maintain that other management-level staff at the two companies knew of Low’s scheme.

He zeroed in on 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, once more alleging Sharol was “not misled” by Low but he was “in on” the conspiracy to purportedly victimise Najib.

“Low has misled many people (including the then Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and Najib),” Shafee said.

“The name 1MDB was not even on the horizon… it was Shahrol who suggested ‘let’s call it 1MDB’. So from one con job TIA (Terengganu Investment Authority), they (Loh and Shahrol) continued into 1MDB without people in power even knowing,” he alleged.

Shahrol, however, had in court denied the assertion by the defence as to his alleged role in the conspiracy to place Najib, who is Pekan MP, in a compromised position.

Shahrol, the prosecution’s eighth witness, had testified that TIA was Najib’s “baby” and brainchild.

It was taken over by the Finance Ministry in 2009, and its name later changed to 1MDB.

Najib is on trial for seven charges – one for abuse of power, three for criminal breach of trust and three money laundering – in relation to RM42 million involving the former 1MDB subsidiary.

The trial entered its 59th day today and it also marked the first day of the defence stage of the trial.

– M’kini