Jasmine Loo may be called to testify

KUALA LUMPUR: The prosecution in Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial would be calling at least four more witnesses to testify, including former 1MDB’s general counsel Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, the High Court was told.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib said apart from Loo, the other witnesses are Bank Negara Malaysia’s analysts, two investigating officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), and the police, respectively.

He said this yesterday when the trial judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah asked the prosecution about the number of witnesses it intended to call if the current 46th prosecution witness, former Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, wrapped up her testimony in the future.

On July 12, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail confirmed that Loo was arrested by police on July 7 to assist in the investigation into the misappropriation of 1MDB funds.

Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the court yesterday that he wanted to reserve cross-examining Zeti.

He made the request (to reserve cross-examining) after Zeti testified that she met former AmBank group managing director Ashok Ramamurthy once.

This was after he took over the position when Cheah Tek Kuang introduced him to her during a courtesy call.

Zeti denied Muhammad Shafee’s assertions that Ashok had sent her updates on Najib’s account.

She repeated her previous testimony that she told Cheah during their first meeting way back in 2011 that anything else concerning Najib’s account should be directed to the then-BNM deputy governor.

At this juncture, Muhammad Shafee made an application to Judge Sequerah to ask for an alleged statement recorded by the MACC from Ashok in Singapore.

The counsel then said he would want the cross-examination of Zeti to end there, pending his application.

“My Lord, I would like to question the investigating officer on this alleged statement. I also want to recall Cheah,” he said.

To this, DPP Ahmad Akram interjected, saying he was not aware of such a statement “formally or informally” at this moment.

He clarified that Ashok, who was not among the witnesses initially considered by the prosecution before the filing of charges in this trial, is not involved in this context.

The judge then asked Zeti to return to court later.

Najib, 70, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3bil belonging to 1MDB and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount. The trial continues today. — BK