FORMER 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) general counsel Jasmine Loo testified in the Kuala Lumpur High Court today, revealing startling claims made by fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, widely known as Jho Low.
Loo stated that Low asserted having evidence indicating that his actions were conducted with the knowledge and at the behest of former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Loo recounted how Low made these assertions when she questioned him about media reports between 2015 and 2016 regarding significant sums of money entering Najib’s bank account.
She admitted being unaware of these funds before the media reports and sought clarification from Low regarding the transactions.
According to Loo, Low assured her not to worry, stating that he would handle everything and that she need not take any action. He purportedly claimed that the money was political funds for the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, specifically for UMNO.
“After I urged and asked Low regarding the transactions, Low asked me not to worry and that he would take care of it and that I need not take any action, because he would take care of everything.
“Low also said that in the event that anything happens to him, he has evidence to show that what he did was on the request, wish, and knowledge of Najib,” the 50th prosecution witness told Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
However, during the trial of the RM2.27 bil 1MDB corruption case against Najib, the lead defence counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah objected to Loo’s testimony citing hearsay.
Acknowledging the objection, Sequerah noted the defence team’s concerns and Loo continued reading from her written witness statement.
Najib is facing charges related to abuse of power and money laundering involving RM2.27 bil from the 1MDB scandal.
The charges allege that he committed these offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch in Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur, between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014, for abuse of power, and between March 22, 2013, and Aug 30, 2013, for money laundering. – Feb 14, 2024
