KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 10): Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin today insisted that a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) about 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) which included a statement denying the involvement of Low Taek Jho — also known as Jho Low — was prepared by the runaway financier himself for ex-Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The FAQ, which was prepared in 2015, was one such example given by the 43-year-old witness to demonstrate the influence the Penang-born businessman allegedly wielded over the former premier.
Amhari, who is the eighth witness called by the prosecution, said at the time Najib's principal private secretary Datuk Azlin Alias was handling all matters related to 1MDB.
"Azlin wanted to meet Najib while I wanted to meet the PM on some other issues. I saw Azlin show the FAQ prepared by Jho Low to get Najib's go-ahead.
"All this approval was gained within 10 minutes," the witness said in reply to questions from Najib's lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
Amhari had told Shafee this after the senior lawyer had asked if he remembered any examples of Jho Low allegedly influencing Najib, seeing that he could not remember details of his police bail.
The witness added that this particular odd occasion stuck with him as he wondered how the former premier would respond to the FAQ.
"I remember Azlin asking Najib whether the PM could say that Jho Low does not have a role in 1MDB," he said.
The former special officer to Najib disagreed with a suggestion by Shafee that the reason he said this was due to his precarious position with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on whether he will be charged or otherwise.
Amhari had initially said the copy of the FAQ may have either been shredded after he was ordered to do so by Jho Low, or seized by the MACC.
However, when Shafee reminded him that a copy of the document still exists, Amhari agreed that the copy was his.
He, however, maintained that Jho Low did not hold any positions in 1MDB.
In Amhari's witness statement, the witness had earlier said the FAQ was prepared by Jho Low.
Jho Low knew Rosmah well
The witness was also asked by the senior counsel about how he knew that Jho Low was close to Rosmah.
The witness replied there were several occasions during his meetings with the late Azlin and Jho Low at Prince Hotel, where he could hear Rosmah talking to the businessman on the phone.
"Yes there were phone calls between them, and Datuk Seri Rosmah also spoke about Jho Low to me. Furthermore, Jho Low would attend some private functions at Najib's private residence in Jalan Langgak Duta.
"Some of these private functions, in the beginning years, I would see Jho Low being invited as well," he said, adding at times there would be 100 guests invited to Najib's house.
Amhari said from there he concluded that Jho Low and Rosmah are close.
He added that he does not know the nature of the conversations between Jho Low and Rosmah, but the witness said he knew the person on the other line was the Prime Minister's wife as her voice can be heard loudly.
"Jho Low would say Rosmah called and asked us to keep quiet," he said of the calls received by the businessman during their meeting at Prince Hotel.
In his witness statement, Amhari had said Jho Low, Azlin and himself occasionally would meet at Prince Hotel at night twice a month for the Penang-born businessman to relay instructions from Najib to himself.
"Before attending the meeting, Jho Low would also go to Najib's house first to discuss on the documents he had sent to us earlier," added Amhari.
Despite this, Amhari agreed with Shafee that during his service with Najib from 2009 to 2018, he had observed nothing wrong with the instructions given to him by the former premier.
The hearing before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues in the afternoon.
The Edge is reporting the proceedings of the 1MDB-Tanore trial live.