1MDB TRIAL | Jasmine Loo testified that fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) threatened to make her life a living hell if she left Bangkok, Thailand and returned to Malaysia.
The former 1MDB general counsel told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that this was the reason that she only came back to Malaysia last year.
During this afternoon’s RM2.27 billion 1MDB corruption trial against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, Loo said if not for the threat, she would have come back to Malaysia earlier.
“Basically, Low swore to make my life a living hell and use his every resource and power that I would meet a terrible end if ever returned to Malaysia.
“I was not working and had to live on funds, whereby every eight or nine months Low would send a stranger to give her funds, amounting to US$2,500 (RM11,964.75) a year.
“It was deplorable to rely on someone who swore to make my life a living hell, but I had no choice but to survive,” she said.
No intent to run away
Loo told trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah she had to find a safe way to return to Malaysia without Low knowing, and that she feared for her life.
During examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor T Deepa Nair, Loo said she never had any intention to run away when she left Malaysia in April 2018 before the country’s 14th general election and stayed in Bangkok for five years until 2023.
Loo said during her time in Thailand, she saw what happened to Swiss 1MDB whistleblower Xavier Andre Justo when he was arrested and jailed in the country, hence she remained in Bangkok to avoid endangering herself.
The 50th prosecution witness testified that she encountered numerous obstacles in trying to return to Malaysia, and her lawyers succeeded in negotiating a safe passage for her return in July last year.
The trial before Sequerah resumes this Friday.
Najib is on trial for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.27 billion from 1MDB.
For the four abuse of power charges, the former Pekan MP is alleged to have committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch in Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur, between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014.
On the 21 money laundering counts, Najib is purported to have committed the offences at the same bank between March 22, 2013, and Aug 30, 2013. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.