The defence team in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial told the High Court that there was no evidence suggesting the company’s joint venture with PetroSaudi International Ltd (PSI) was influenced by Najib’s brief phone conversation with then-1MDB chairman Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh.
Defence counsel Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin contended that 1MDB’s board of directors and management had already demonstrated clear intent to proceed with the PSI partnership even before the phone call took place. He explained that records from that period showed the board actively preparing for the collaboration — including appointing corporate representatives and arranging for a joint bank account with PSI.
The lawyer questioned the logic behind claims that Najib had pressured the board to proceed, pointing out that if the Prime Minister had indeed issued such a directive, the directors would not have imposed additional conditions or delays before approving the deal.
The statement was made during Najib’s trial before Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, where the former prime minister faces allegations of misappropriating RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds.
Earlier testimonies revealed that fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, had requested Najib to contact Mohd Bakke ahead of a special board meeting on September 26, 2009. The call was reportedly meant to provide context about what was presented as a government-to-government initiative between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
However, Wan Azwan Aiman argued that the Notice of the Special Board Meeting, dated a day before the call, already indicated that the meeting’s purpose was to approve the joint venture. This, he said, proved that 1MDB’s board had decided on the partnership independently, rather than as a result of Najib’s intervention.
The defence is currently addressing the first charge under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which accuses Najib of abusing his position by directing the board to approve an investment of RM1 billion in PSI through the purchase of shares priced at USD1 each during a special meeting held at The Royale Bintang in Petaling Jaya.
Najib’s defence closed its case in May after calling 26 witnesses, with the court setting nine days from October 21 for oral submissions.
The 72-year-old faces four charges of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.3 billion. He is currently serving a six-year sentence in Kajang Prison following his separate conviction in the SRC International case, after his 12-year term and RM210 million fine were reduced through a royal pardon.
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