Swiss court made no finding on Jho Low being Najib's rep: Shafee
Published: Sep 2, 2024 2:16 PM
1MDB TRIAL | A Swiss court last week made no finding that fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) ever represented former premier Najib Abdul Razak, the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard.
Najib’s counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the criminal court this morning about the Swiss court conviction of Petrosaudi International Ltd (PSI) executives Tarek Obaid and Patrick Mahony.
On Aug 28, the Swiss court found the duo guilty for their roles in embezzling funds from 1MDB and they were sentenced to seven years and six years in prison respectively.
During today's RM2.27 billion abuse of power and money laundering trial of Najib, Shafee said the Swiss court found Obaid and Mahony misled 1MDB.
"The Swiss court never mentioned the involvement of Najib (or Low acting for the then premier)," Shafee told judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
The lawyer reminded that there are independent testimonies and evidence that demolish any idea that authorised Low to act as Najib's representative in 1MDB entering into the joint venture with PSI.
Ex-PSI execs Tarek Obaid (left) and Patrick Mahony
In the course of the 1MDB trial before the Malaysian court, prosecutors contended that Low was a mirror image of Najib.
The prosecution claimed that Low's machination included 1MDB entering into the joint venture with PSI in 2009, which led to the embezzlement of US$700 million from the sovereign wealth fund.
25 charges
Najib is on trial over 25 counts encompassing abuse of power and money laundering of RM2.27 billion funds from 1MDB.
For the four abuse of power charges, the former Pekan MP allegedly committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch in Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur, between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014.
On the 21 money laundering counts, Najib purportedly committed the offences at the same bank between March 22 and Aug 30, 2013.
The accused was first charged on Sept 20, 2018, and his criminal trial began on Aug 28, 2019.
On May 30 this year, the prosecution closed its case, six years after the former prime minister was first charged in late 2018.
The proceedings are now in the oral submissions stage, which involves no witness testimonies, only legal teams summing up whether the oral and documentary evidence implicates or exonerates Najib.
Fifty witnesses took the stand for the prosecution, including 1MDB’s former general counsel Jasmine Loo.
Loo was allegedly part of Low's inner circle.
In the course of the 1MDB trial before the Malaysian court, prosecutors contended that Low was a mirror image of Najib.
The prosecution claimed that Low's machination included 1MDB entering into the joint venture with PSI in 2009, which led to the embezzlement of US$700 million from the sovereign wealth fund.
25 charges
Najib is on trial over 25 counts encompassing abuse of power and money laundering of RM2.27 billion funds from 1MDB.
For the four abuse of power charges, the former Pekan MP allegedly committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch in Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur, between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014.
On the 21 money laundering counts, Najib purportedly committed the offences at the same bank between March 22 and Aug 30, 2013.
The accused was first charged on Sept 20, 2018, and his criminal trial began on Aug 28, 2019.
On May 30 this year, the prosecution closed its case, six years after the former prime minister was first charged in late 2018.
The proceedings are now in the oral submissions stage, which involves no witness testimonies, only legal teams summing up whether the oral and documentary evidence implicates or exonerates Najib.
Fifty witnesses took the stand for the prosecution, including 1MDB’s former general counsel Jasmine Loo.
Loo was allegedly part of Low's inner circle.
Ex-1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo
Prosecutors claimed that Najib received RM2.27 billion misappropriated from the troubled sovereign wealth fund between 2011 and 2014.
However, Najib’s defence team contended that the former premier had no knowledge of any wrongdoing at 1MDB and that any wrongdoing that may have happened was solely masterminded by Low and members of the fund’s management.
The former finance minister also previously contended that the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia promised the accused financial donation for political purposes.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib prosecuted.
Prosecutors claimed that Najib received RM2.27 billion misappropriated from the troubled sovereign wealth fund between 2011 and 2014.
However, Najib’s defence team contended that the former premier had no knowledge of any wrongdoing at 1MDB and that any wrongdoing that may have happened was solely masterminded by Low and members of the fund’s management.
The former finance minister also previously contended that the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia promised the accused financial donation for political purposes.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib prosecuted.
The Swiss Court only tried the 2 defendants for crimes committed on Switzerland soil or using Swiss banking corporations.
ReplyDeleteIt made no finding on Najib, because Najib was not part of the criminal case.
It is utterly misleading and irrelevant for Shafee to attempt to paint this as showing Najib is innocent. No such linkage.