KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 4): Datuk Amhari Effendi Nazaruddin, former special officer to Datuk Seri Najib Razak, will continue to testify in the latter’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd-Tanore (1MDB-Tanore) trial, which enters its fourth day of proceedings this morning.
Yesterday, the eighth prosecution witness and the first key witness in this case on the ex-Prime Minister's abuse of power and money laundering involving 1MDB funds, told the High Court of Najib’s close relationship with fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, as well as the Penangite's involvement in the handling of 1MDB affairs.
Reading out from his witness statement during examination-in-chief, Amhari described Jho Low as Najib’s “unofficial adviser” who had “extraordinary” powers and direct access to the former premier.
Jho Low would also work behind the scenes for Najib in handling international relations, government-to-government negotiations, and political funding arrangements.
Amhari said Jho Low would call for meetings twice a month with himself and his director, the late Datuk Seri Azlin Alias, who was Najib’s principal private secretary.
The meetings would be held at the Prince Hotel here and would follow a modus operandi set by Jho Low involving bodyguards and different hotel rooms for each meeting.
The businessman would issue instructions to the two men and assure them that these directives have been approved by the Prime Minister himself.
He added that he first learned about the formation of Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA) (before becoming 1MDB) at a meeting with Jho Low in the latter's apartment kitchen, where he explained the concept of the entity to the witness by doodling on a whiteboard.
Amhari said Jho Low briefed him about how the entity would follow the "Mubadala" model — a sovereign wealth fund belonging to UAE in Abu Dhabi.
"This would entail investments outside of the country, which would then be brought back to the country at a profit and will benefit Malaysians as the returns will be used for economic and corporate social responsibility projects," Amhari recalled Jho Low telling him.
Najib, in his capacity as finance minister, signed off the name change from TIA to 1MDB in September 2009.
Today’s session will start at 9.15am before High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
The former premier has been charged with four counts of abusing his positions to obtain gratification under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 to obtain bribes of RM2.28 billion.
He was also slapped with 21 counts of money laundering under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
The Edge is reporting the 1MDB-Tanore trial proceedings live.