KUALA LUMPUR: The presiding judge in Datuk Seri Najib Razak's corruption trial today revealed that the recently-arrested former 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) general counsel Jasmine Loo Ai Swan used to be his partner in a law firm.
Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah who presided as the High Court judge said this when Najib's lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah inquired whether Loo would be called as a witness in the trial.
"I thought I would just make this disclosure that the said individual (Loo) and I were partners formally when I was practising.
"This was when I was in practice maybe 10 to 15 years ago," he said briefly.
Earlier, Shafee said Loo would be a highly relevant witness in Najib's trial who allegedly misappropriated billions of the sovereign wealth funds.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib said they (the prosecution) did not receive any further instruction from the Attorney-General's Chambers.
"I can confirm that Loo is still in police custody, and we have not received any details of the ongoing police investigation.
"I am sure statements are recorded from her at the moment," he said briefly.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, at a press conference on July 12, said police were holding Loo at the Dang Wangi police headquarters.
Loo's name was heavily mentioned during Najib's ongoing corruption trial for allegedly misappropriating RM2.3 billion from 1MDB.
It was reported that Loo was among the proxies working with fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, to misappropriate millions of ringgit from the sovereign state fund.
Loo, who also became a fugitive after the fall of the Barisan Nasional-led government during the 14th General Election in 2018, was listed as a wanted person.
In 2018, Low, alongside four others linked to the scandal — Loo, Terence Geh, Casey Tang Keng Chee and Eric Tan Kim Loong — were charged in absentia at the Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur magistrate's courts over money-laundering cases linked to the 1MDB scandal.
Loo was charged with two counts of laundering more than US$6 million received in a Swiss account she controlled on Dec 6, 2012 and July 1, 2014.
This is believed to be a portion of the funds diverted from the first two 1MDB bond offerings underwritten by Goldman Sachs.
On Jan 20, the High Court allowed the government and a bank to forfeit one property, two luxury vehicles and RM22,600 in cash belonging to Loo.
Najib, 70, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.