KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here was today told that fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low orchestrated the operation of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) despite not being legally appointed and not holding any position in the company.
This was conveyed to the court by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer Senior Superintendent Nur Aida Ariffin, 37, when he agreed to the suggestion by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
Nur Aida told the court when cross-examined by Muhammad Shafee in the former Prime Minister’s corruption and money laundering case, involving RM2.3 billion of 1MDB funds.
She also agreed with the lawyer’s suggestion that at the initial stage of the establishment of the Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA), Jho Low was legally appointed as an advisor to the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong and that the appointment was not by Najib.
TIA was established on Feb 27, 2009, as an entity owned by the Terengganu government and was later renamed as 1MDB on Sept 25 of the same year.
Nur Aida, however, disagreed with Muhammad Shafee’s suggestion that former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi’s habit of always following instructions from Jho Low was because he had served at a global professional services company Accenture, where Jho Low’s company, Utama Banking Group (UBG), used to be its client.
Muhammad Shafee: Look at what happened in 1MDB, it seems that Shahrol’s habit of taking orders from Jho Low has been carried over into 1MDB?
Nur Aida: I do not agree.
When Muhammad Shafee told her that Shahrol himself had told the court that he took action based on Jho Low’s instructions, Nur Aida responded by saying that was right because Jho Low’s order came from Najib.
On Sept 5, 2019, a former special officer to Najib, Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin, testified that based on his opinion, Jho Low was a puppet master because of his ability to manipulate anyone.
Najib, 70, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion belonging to 1MDB and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The trial before Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow.
