Jho Low was invited to special 1MDB board meeting, says witness

 

Jho Low did not seem to have uttered a single word throughout the meeting, according to Najib Razak’s lawyer Shafee Abdullah. (Bloomberg pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here was told that fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, was invited by the 1MDB management to a special board meeting held at the Royale Bintang Damansara on Sept 26, 2009.

Former 1MDB director Ismee Ismail, 58, said either former CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi or former executive director Casey Tang might have invited Jho Low to the meeting.

The 13th prosecution witness said this during cross-examination by Najib Razak’s lead counsel, Shafee Abdullah, in the former prime minister’s trial over the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds.

The meeting, which was led by then 1MDB chairman Bakke Salleh, was also attended by Che Lodin Wok Kamaruddin, Shahrol Azral, Azlan Zainol, Tang and the witness himself.

Ismee, who referred to the minutes of the meeting, agreed that there was no question raised nor record of how Jho Low was invited and for what purpose.

“I recall before the start of the meeting we did talk about it, and from my perspective, his presence there during that time was to enlighten the board on a proposed joint venture (JV) with PetroSaudi International Ltd (PSI),” he said.

Shafee: Jho Low did not seem to have uttered a single word throughout the meeting, because otherwise his explanation would have been recorded in this (meeting) minutes.

Ismee: Yes.

Meanwhile, another witness, former 1MDB chief financial officer Azmi Tahir, said he never verified instructions received from Najib’s former principal private secretary, the late Azlin Alias, which were said to have come directly from Najib himself.

Counsel Hariharan Tara Singh referred the 12th prosecution witness to a part in his witness statement, where he said he undertook to execute and sign several documents related to a joint venture between BSI bank and 1MDB Global Investments Ltd in March 2013.

However, Azmi said most of Azlin’s instructions would only be in verbal or text message format and they were never written in proper documentation.

The witness also agreed to a suggestion by Hariharan that he never verified these instructions with Najib because he assumed that whatever came from Azlin was under Najib’s direction.

Najib, 68, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.

The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow. - FMT