PUTRAJAYA: A former investigating officer of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case told the High Court today that none of the company’s top management had gained any personal benefit from the misappropriation of the sovereign wealth fund.
Instead, retired police officer R. Rajagopal testified that based on his own investigation and those carried out by other enforcement agencies, millions of ringgit from the company were found to have been transferred into the personal accounts of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
“Throughout the police investigation and also the information received from the special task force (which is also investigating the misappropriation of 1MDB funds), we have not received any evidence showing that Azmi (former 1MDB chief financial officer, Azmi Tahir), Hazem (former 1MDB chief executive officer, Mohd Hazem Abdul Rahman) and Shahrol (former 1MDB CEO, Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi) have received money from 1MDB funds compared to Najib,“ said the witness.
Rajagopal, the former head of Bukit Aman’s Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) said this during cross-examination by deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam at the former premier’s trial for the alleged misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds.
Meanwhile, the 11th defence witness disagreed with a suggestion by DPP Ahmad Akram Gharib that he had not made serious efforts to bring Casey Tang back to Malaysia from Thailand.
Tang was said to be a close associate of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low and was sought for the purpose of recording his statement in June 2016.
Ahmad Akram: Jho Low is said to be close to Datuk Seri Najib. Was that why Casey Tang was given preference not to be brought back?
Rajagopal: I don’t agree that he (Tang) was given preference just because Jho Low was close to Datuk Seri Najib.
Ahmad Akram: Is it because you didn’t want to offend him (Najib)?
Rajagopal: I disagree. As an investigating officer, I had to follow a set of rules.
On Oct 30 last year, Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah ordered Najib to enter his defence, after ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against him.
Najib, 71, faces 25 charges, including four counts of abusing his position to accept RM2.3 billion in bribes from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The hearing continues tomorrow.
