Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, a key witness in the trial of Datuk Seri Najib Razak regarding the misappropriation of RM2.27 billion in 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds, denied today that her testimony was the result of a deal to avoid prosecution.
During cross-examination in the High Court, Najib's defence lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, asked Loo if she had made a deal with prosecutors and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to have criminal charges against her dropped in exchange for her testimony. Loo responded in the negative.
"I am putting it to you that you are fully aware of these (in absentia) charges and you have in fact negotiated with the prosecution in lieu of giving evidence here these charges will be dropped," Muhammad Shafee said.
"I do not agree," she replied.
Loo also stated that she had instructed her lawyers to deal with her pending criminal case upon her return to Malaysia in July 2023. She was aware of the charges against her after absconding from Malaysia in April 2018 but found it hard to recall the details.
The charges against her were related to her receipt of US$6 million in an account with Falcon Private Bank in Switzerland in 2012 and 2014. She was charged alongside fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho and others.
Loo explained that the funds in the Falcon Private Bank account were part of the United States Justice Department's 2020 forfeiture suit for the recovery of assets associated with the international conspiracy to launder funds misappropriated from 1MDB.
She stated that Low was the one depositing funds into the account, which he claimed were not from 1MDB. Loo was the authorized signatory of the bank account.
Loo also argued that Low was already wealthy when she met him and she believed he was managing funds for other individuals and his own investment entities.
Najib's 1MDB trial is set to resume on April 1 before trial judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
Kamran is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.