I was never alone with Jho Low in his apartment, says banker

 

Former AmBank officer Joanna Yu testified that she had a close working relationship with Low Taek Jho.

KUALA LUMPUR: A prosecution witness in Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial today clashed with the former prime minister’s lawyer on what was the actual role of Low Taek Jho in Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA).

Former AmBank relationship manager Joanna Yu told the High Court that the fugitive businessman, who is also known as Jho Low, informed the bank during a 2009 meeting that he was an adviser to TIA’s board of advisers.

Defence counsel Shafee Abdullah, however, disputed her answer, insisting that Low told her he was Terengganu ruler Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin’s adviser.

“I don’t remember Jho (Low) saying he was the sultan’s adviser,” said Yu, repeating her answer several times in response to repeated questioning by Shafee on the matter.

Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah then interjected and told Shafee that he could address the matter in his submissions at the close of the case.

Yu also told the court that she first met Low in 2007, and that over the years, she developed a close working relationship with him.

She said Low usually held meetings at his apartment in Jalan Kia Peng on the weekends.

“I would see Casey (Tang Keng Chee), Tan Vern Tact, Kee Kok Thiam, Jasmine Loo, Shahrol Azral (Ibrahim Halmi) and Jerome Lee there,” said Yu, insisting that she was never alone with Low.

Tang, Tan, Kee and Loo – all of whom are at large – have been linked to Low. Lee was Putrajaya Perdana Bhd’s group executive director while Shahrol is a former 1MDB CEO.

Asked by defence counsel whether Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin was also present at the apartment, Yu said she did not know who he was.

Amhari was Najib’s special officer. He previously testified that he had brought Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers to Low’s apartment while he was in remand in 2018.

The hearing is set to continue before Sequerah on Dec 12.

Najib is facing 25 counts of money laundering and abuse of power over alleged 1MDB funds amounting to RM2.28 billion deposited in his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014. - FMT