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TAN Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that a criminal court in Switzerland never ruled that Low Taek Jho or Jho Low was a “proxy” of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Najib’s lead counsel said the Swiss Federal Criminal Court did not mention any involvement of his client or the fugitive financier in its ruling against two executive officers of the oil exploration company PetroSaudi International Ltd (PSI).
He said this regarding the Swiss court conviction of PetroSaudi International Ltd executives Tarek Obaid and Patrick Mahony last week.
On August 28, the court in Switzerland sentenced Obaid and Mahony to seven and six years respectively after finding them guilty for their roles in embezzling funds from 1MDB.
“In convicting them, the court never said anything about the involvement of Datuk Seri Najib,” Shafee claimed as he asked the high court to take note of the Swiss conviction.
The two were found guilty of embezzling over US$1.8 billion (RM7.8 billion) of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) investment funds.
Shafee said there were testimonies and evidence that dismissed the notion that Najib gave clearance to Low regarding the joint venture between 1MDB and PSI.
“There is evidence that refutes any notion that Najib authorised Low about the joint venture agreement between 1MDB and PSI. This evidence was also presented in this court, through the proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
“Former 1MDB CEO Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi answered questions by PAC and he denied Low was present at a 1MDB meeting in 2009 to represent Najib. He was there as a representative of PSI and not Najib,” he said.
Shafee said this when presenting his argument on why the court should acquit Najib on abuse of power charges linked to the 1MDB financial scandal before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
“Jho Low was certainly not there on behalf of 1MDB, and certainly can’t be representing Najib as [Najib] would be represented by the entire 1MDB board,” Shafee said.
Jho Low, who has an Interpol Red Notice against him, was known to Najib but the ex-prime minister had better people to represent him, Shafee said.
In its opening statement on August 28, 2019, the prosecution had stated that it would present facts leading to an inference that could not be dismissed, suggesting that Low and the accused acted as “one”.
Najib, 71, is on trial for 25 charges in total – four for abuse of power that allegedly brought him the financial benefit to the tune of RM2.28 billion; and 21 for money laundering involving the same amount of money.
For the 21 charges of money laundering, the former Pekan MP is accused of committing the offences between March 22, 2013, and August 30, 2013. – September 2, 2024
