KUALA LUMPUR: Former special officer to Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak (pix) today revealed in the High Court here that there were numerous attacks on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) issue at the end of 2014 which resulted in the Prime Minister’s Office having to defend Najib for believing it was a conspiracy against the former prime minister.
Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin, 43, said the end of 2014 and early 2015 was a difficult period for both the Prime Minister’s Office and Najib himself because many articles and documents said to be the evidence of the 1MDB scandal were released.
“At that time there were also numerous attacks on the 1MDB issue and we at the Prime Minister’s Office decided to ‘defend’ because we believed it was a conspiracy against Datuk Seri Najib,“ said Amhari Efendi during re-examination by lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram on the 11th day of Najib’s 1MDB trial.
Questioned by Sri Ram on who were ‘’us’’, the eighth prosecution witness said specifically they were the late Datuk Azlin Alias (Najib’s former principal private secretary) and him but generally, senior officers in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Amhari Efendi said the management meetings at the Prime Minister’s Office often saw the issues relating to 1MDB being raised.
Amhari Efendi said the issues included the alleged misuse of 1MDB funds in the joint venture with PetroSaudi, businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low’s luxurious lifestyle, and Hollywood film “Wolf of Wall Street” which was said to be funded by 1MDB money.
He said this occurred between January and February 2015 because Azlin died later in April.
Asked on what he understood about “Duit 1MDB la bro” (1MDB money la bro), Amhari Efendi explained that the phrase had been uttered by Azlin when he came down from Najib’s office.
“At that time, to my knowledge, no issues were hotter than the issue of 1MDB money having been misused and at that time the issue revolved around Wolf of Wall Street and PetroSaudi,” he said.
Questioned by Sri Ram on what Wolf of Wall Street referred to, the witness said: “The movie produced by Najib’s stepson, Riza Aziz.”
Amhari Efendi also denied that he was the owner of Tycoon Gain Ltd and Aabar Investment PJS Ltd (BVI).
Meanwhile, the key witness said he had never received any instruction from his former employer to lodge a police report on 1MDB issue when the scandal was heavily reported since 2015.
Sri Ram: At any time, 2015 to 2018, did you receive any instructions from the accused (Najib) to lodge a police report?
Amhari Efendi: No
Sri Ram: Any instructions (from the accused) to lodge a report to the MACC?
“No”, Amhari Efendi replied.
The witness completed his testimony today. He was first called in to testify on Sept 3.
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 Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues. — Bernama
