The defence team for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak argued in court that former 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi was not a mere subordinate but an active beneficiary of the fund’s controversial dealings.
Defence counsel Datuk Tania Scivetti contended that Shahrol’s appointment as 1MDB’s first CEO came through the recommendation of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low. She asserted that Low had benefited enormously from transactions endorsed by Shahrol’s signature on key 1MDB documents — reaping over US$1.9 billion through various deals tied to the sovereign wealth fund.
According to Scivetti, the prosecution’s attempt to portray Shahrol as an obedient subordinate following orders from Najib was misleading. She suggested that Shahrol was instead a “willing participant” who gained handsomely from his position.
The court was told that Shahrol received a lucrative compensation package during his tenure — including a monthly salary of RM99,000, an annual pay of RM1.2 million, a signing bonus worth RM160,000, and additional perks such as a personal driver, directors’ meeting allowances, and other bonuses. The defence emphasized that such benefits, along with the prestige of leading a sovereign wealth fund, strengthened his professional and financial standing.
Scivetti went on to argue that these financial rewards constituted “gratification” under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act, asserting that Shahrol had materially benefited from his involvement in 1MDB. She also detailed how Jho Low’s entities, including Good Star Limited and Aabar Investment PJS Limited, received massive sums linked to Shahrol’s authorizations — with approximately US$958 million channelled in 2012 and another US$1.03 billion between 2009 and 2011.
The defence further questioned Shahrol’s credibility as a key prosecution witness, arguing that his testimony could not be taken at face value given his central role in approving transactions that later became part of the global 1MDB scandal.
Later, defence lawyer Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin joined in challenging the reliability of other prosecution witnesses, contending that the evidence presented failed to substantiate Najib’s alleged abuse of power. The legal team maintained that one of Najib’s four power abuse charges had already been successfully rebutted, while the others remained unproven.
Najib currently faces 25 charges linked to the misappropriation of more than RM2 billion in 1MDB funds. The trial is set to continue tomorrow, with lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and Scivetti expected to advance their defence arguments further.
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