KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 10): Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin (pictured, left), the eighth prosecution witness in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd-Tanore (1MDB-Tanore) trial, will continue to be cross-examined by the defence today, lead by Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
The 1MDB-Tanore case, where former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is charged with 25 counts of money laundering and abuse of power, involving billions of ringgit allegedly siphoned from 1MDB, enters its 6th day today.
Last week, the former special officer to the ex-premier told the High Court before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah that the hierarchy in the civil service prevented him from clarifying fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho's (Jho Low) orders directly with Najib.
Amhari said he had solely “depended" on the words of his late boss Datuk Azlin Alias as well as Jho Low to act on the latter’s instructions, as hierarchy had prevented him from speaking directly to the Prime Minister.
The witness, Azlin and Jho Low had met frequently in late-night top secret meetings, where Jho Low conveyed instructions from Najib on 1MDB matters, in Kuala Lumpur up until 2015, Amhari testified last week.
Azlin served as the chief private secretary to Najib until he passed away in 2015.
The court also heard from the witness that he had been earning some RM75,000 per month as the special officer to Najib.
This comprised RM55,000 per month from his position as a director in Khazanah Nasional Bhd, as well as RM20,000 from ORB Solutions Sdn Bhd that facilitated Najib’s digital presence, where Amhari was its largest shareholder.
The trial continues today at 9.30am before Justice Sequerah, and will be reported by The Edge live.