KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he did not expect the top officer of Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA), the predecessor of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), to delegate his tasks to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho (Jho Low).
The former prime minister made the statement while testifying as a defence witness in his corruption trial for misappropriating RM2.3 billion of 1MDB funds before the High Court today.
During the examination-in-chief, Najib's lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, asked his client about the practice of companies seeking government guarantees. Najib responded that it was common practice for companies to seek such guarantees to obtain certain exemptions and approvals.
Shafee then asked Najib about the testimony of TIA's former chief executive, Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, who, when testifying as a prosecution witness, stated that he did not draft the (government guarantee) letter.
Shafee: Shahrol merely signed it in his capacity as CEO, while someone else prepared it. Are you aware that Low was the one who prepared this letter?
Najib: No, I was not aware. I do not recall seeing this letter, and had I received it, I would have naturally assumed that, since Shahrol signed it, he was the one who drafted it.
Najib said during this trial, Shahrol testified that he was paid over RM90,000 a month for his role, along with perks like a car, driver, substantial bonuses, and even a substantial signing bonus when he left Accenture to join TIA at Low's invitation.
"With a package like that, one would expect that he would either draft his correspondences to the prime minister or at least would not have delegated the task to someone outside of the company."
Najib, 71, faces 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.