KUALA LUMPUR: 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.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, 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 and Articles of Association although he held the authority to do so. Naji
b emphasized that Shahrol Azral’s reliance on Jho Low’s claim that these actions were taken with his ‘blessing’ under Article 117 is fundamentally flawed.

As CEO of 1MDB, Shahrol Azral bore the responsibility to request formal, written approval from Najib under Article 117 if he believed his endorsement was necessary. Najib asserted that without such written approval, no action could be deemed authorized by him under that provision, making Shahrol Azral’s assertions unfounded and appearing to be a convenient afterthought to shield himself from his clear criminal culpability.

Najib further stated that if Shahrol Azral genuinely believed Jho Low’s instructions had his endorsement, he should have copied him on those emails and preserved all such communications as proof. This, Najib argued, would demonstrate either his supposed involvement or that Shahrol Azral was actively following through on purported ‘instructions’ by him. Najib rejected Shahrol Azral’s claim that he followed these instructions in Najib’s i
nterest, asserting that there was no basis for this assertion.

Najib disclosed he had no knowledge of Shahrol Azral’s meetings at Jho Low’s residence and stated 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 to defend himself against four charges of using his position to obtain gratification totaling RM2.3 billion in 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.