The alleged mastermind of the 1MDB scandal Jho Low was in constant communication with ex-PM Najib Razak’s wife and the fugitive businessman was always at private parties organised by the ex-PM or his wife.
The High Court in Kuala Lumpur heard testimony from the former aide of Najib who is a witness in the ongoing RM2.3bil 1MDB corruption trial.
Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin, who was a special officer to the former prime minister, said in the High Court on Tuesday (Sept 10) he believed Jho Low and the Najib’s wife were very close.
He said the ex-Prime Minister is one of the people close to the 1MDB scandal who followed a script where he was to deny any role played by Jho Low, the fugitive businessman and alleged mastermind of the 1MDB scandal.
But even more interesting is his statement on how close Jho Low was with the former First Lady of Malaysia, Rosmah Mansor.
Amhari, 43, is the eight witness the prosecution presented in the 1MDB trial.
The court also heard that Low was often present at “exclusive” parties held at Najib’s private residence.
Amhari, when questioned by Shafee on how close he perceived Rosmah and Low to be, said on several occasions, “during my meetings (with Low) and Azlin Alias, I could hear Low speaking to Rosmah on the phone.
Azlin who was the former premier’s principal private secretary, died in a helicopter crash.
“And when I met Rosmah, she spoke fondly of Low,” Amhari said.
Najib’s lawyer Shaffee Abdullah asked Amhari whether Low told him about his relationship with the family and Rosmah?
Amhari replied “Yes.” and said he attended some functions and some meet-ups, mostly at (number) 11 (Najib’s private residence in Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur).
“I do not want to generalise a person’s private life but for some of the private functions that Najib and Rosmah organised in the early years, I would see Low there as well. These were very exclusive.”
Amhari was under cross-examination from defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah on the Frequently Asked Questions brief prepared by Jho Low.
The briefs was intended for officials and persons close to the 1MDB scandal. The aim was to get them to tell one version of the story, in which Jho Low is not involved in the scandal.
“It (the document) was prepared by Low himself and it was the (base for) statements for relevant key individuals to say and one of the points was to say that Low had no role in 1MDB,” the court heard.
“He (Low) also suggested that Najib say this as well,” he added.
The witness did not produce a copy of the brief in court, saying he did not have them on him at the moment but said it is one of the documents seized by the Malaysian anti-corruption busters.
He also said Jho Low asked for the document to be shredded. He did not also say the names of those who were told to follow the ‘briefs’.
Last week, the same witness told the court how he feared for his safety and had to carry out the orders given by the ex-PM and Jho Low after Azlin’s death. -/TISG