KUALA LUMPUR: Former special officer to Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak today disagreed with Najib’s lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah’s suggestion that he was concealing important documents in order to use it as leverage for his own alleged offences.
Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin, 43, who was eighth prosecution witness, said this when cross-examined by Muhammad Shafee on the 10th day of Najib’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s trial (1MDB).
Amhari said that leading to the election, he received instructions from the office chief-of-staff of the Prime Minister’s Office to shred documents that needed to be shredded, and to file the rest appropriately for later use.
He also said he kept all the important documents in his cousin’s apartment at Persiaran Tropicana here.
Muhammad Shafee: You have kept all these important documents in her place rather than in your own house. Why is that?
Amhari Effendi said at that time, he handled election related works at home, and as he was very busy, he sought help from his cousin.
Amhari: I told her I will get it back but I did not. There were just a few boxes. Most of the election materials, social media materials, were at my house. It was irrelevant to the raid.
Among the documents seized by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) were 1MDB’s rationalisation plan, 1MDB talking points and emails from International Petroleum Investment Corporation (IPIC) lawyer Martin Edelman.
Muhammad Shafee: This was your method of concealing the documents. You decided to work with MACC so that your own problems will be treated leniently, for offences that you obviously did. I mean, you are still not charged. This is a tit-for-tat, where you provide some information for them that would incriminate my client.
Amhari: I disagree.
Najib, 66, is facing four charges of abusing his position to corruptly obtain RM2.3 billion of 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering related to the money.
The Pekan MP allegedly committed the four offences at AmIslamic Bank Berhad, Jalan Raja Chulan branch, Bukit Ceylon here between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014, and the 21 charges, between March 22, 2013, and Aug 30, 2013, at the same place.
The trial before Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues. — Bernama
