Shahrol Shouldn't Have Followed Jho Low's Instruction - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- The High Court here was today told that former 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi should have never entertained major decisions communicated by fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low, as he held no role or authority in the sovereign wealth fund.

Testifying as the first defence witness, Najib said the fact that Shahrol Azral chose to follow Jho Low's instructions to use his personal email rather than his official 1MDB email account, on grounds that their communications were 'confidential' reflects his (Shahrol Azral) awareness that these exchanges were inappropriate. 

The former premier is responding to Shahrol Azral's allegations made during his testimony as the 9th prosecution witness in the trial.

Najib said throughout his tenure as prime minister, he never exercised the powers under Article 117 of the 1MDB Memorandum & Articles of Association although he held the authority to do so.

"Shahrol Azral's reliance on Jho Low’s claim that these actions were taken with my 'blessing' under Article 117 is fundamentally flawed. As CEO of 1MDB, he bears the responsibility to request formal, written approval from me under Article 117 if he believes my endorsement is necessary. 

"Without such written approval, no action can be deemed authorised by me under that provision, which makes Shahrol Azral's assertions unfounded and appear to be a convenient afterthought to shield himself from his clear criminal culpability," he said.

Additionally, Najib said if Shahrol Azral genuinely believed that Jho Low’s instructions had his endorsement, he should have copied him on those emails and preserved all such communications as proof.

"This is to prove my supposed involvement or at least to demonstrate that he was actively following through every purported 'instruction' by me.

"Shahrol Azral claimed he followed these instructions because he believed it was in my interest, as though he was acting out of duty or a sense of allegiance. However, there is no basis for this assertion," Najib said.

Najib further said he had no knowledge of Shahrol Azral's meeting at Jho Low's residence and he had never been to the residence, unlike other 1MDB top officers including 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo and former CEO Mohd Hazem Abd Rahman.

The former Pekan MP took the stand today to defend himself against four charges of using his position to obtain gratification totalling RM2.3 billion in 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds and 21 money laundering charges involving the same amount.

On Oct 30, Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah ordered Najib to enter his defence on all 25 charges after finding that the prosecution had succeeded in establishing a prima facie case against the former prime minister on all the charges at the end of the prosecution's case.

-- BERNAMA