1MDB: Amhari A ‘Corrupt Public Official’ Says Najib’s Lawyer

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 (Bernama) -- The High Court here today was told that Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's former special officer Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin was a corrupt public official as he knowingly accepted a US$200,000 ‘loan’ from fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low.

Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah submitted this at the end of the prosecution’s case before Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah today.

“Amhari has every reason to extricate himself from his complicity with Jho Low and to inculpate Najib. His (Amhari) credibility could be salvaged if his wrongdoings are attributable to his superior’s instructions or approval instead of his personal corrupt motive.

"Amhari came as a witness with a programme in his head, almost like a chip entered his head. He had to say all that as he had been taking bribes from Jho Low," said the veteran lawyer.

In 2019, Amhari testified that he took the money from Jho Low to buy a RM1.85 million property in Kota Damansara, Selangor. He even admitted that there were no agreements signed between him and Jho Low to facilitate the disbursement of the loan.

Touching on the setting up of Terengganu Investment Authority Berhad (TIA) which was later renamed as 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Muhammad Shafee contended that Najib was never involved in the setting up of TIA.

“If indeed Amhari had attended the meeting in his official capacity as Najib’s special officer, no record or minute was produced to substantiate it having taken place. The other attendees of the meeting were not called to testify to corroborate Amhari’s attendance,” he said.

Najib, 71, faces four charges of abusing his position to obtain RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds at the AmIslamic Bank Berhad branch on Jalan Raja Chulan, Bukit Ceylon, between Feb 24, 2011 and Dec 19, 2014.

He also faces 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount at the same bank between March 22, 2013 and Aug 30, 2013.

Najib is charged under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act and can be punished under Section 24(1) of the same act, and under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act.

The submission continues tomorrow.

-- BERNAMA