KUALA LUMPUR – Former 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) general counsel Jasmine Loo said Datuk Seri Najib Razak had “cleared” her of wrongdoing in a written reply to Parliament back in 2016.
She told deputy public prosecutor Deepa Nair that she was summoned by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and police in 2016. However, she clarified that she had only had her statement recorded by police.
Loo is testifying as the 50th prosecution witness in Najib’s trial over the misappropriation of RM2.27 billion of 1MDB funds.
Deepa: Was there any action taken (following the statements recorded)?
Loo: No.
Deepa: Why? What happened?
Loo: I believed Najib (had) cleared me. I recall seeing an article about myself, where he posed a question in Parliament about myself and he replied that the investigation (into her and former 1MDB executive director of business development Casey Tang) had been completed and I was cleared.
On March 7, 2017, then Kelana Jaya MP Wong Chen asked Najib if the Finance Ministry at that time had cooperated with the Immigration Department to track down Loo and Tang, who were on BNM’s wanted lists for investigations under the Exchange Control Act 1953.
In Najib’s written reply, he said that the two individuals were off the watch lists as the investigation into them had been completed.
He also said that 1MDB, at that time, had been served a compound letter from BNM for failing to fully adhere to the orders issued under the Exchange Control Act 1953.
Meanwhile, Loo also warned Deepa that any attempts to conspire against or cheat Najib would have been akin to digging one’s own grave.
She said this when Deepa asked Loo to clarify why she did not agree with suggestions from Najib’s defence team that insinuated she had conspired with 1MDB’s former chief executive Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi to cheat Najib.
“I would disagree. It would be impossible to conspire against the sitting prime minister (at that time)… that would be (like I’m) digging my own grave,” she told Deepa.
Loo also told deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib that Najib had been well aware of any financial transactions involving 1MDB funds.
“By virtue of the shareholder resolution that was signed, I believed that he had knowledge of it, as well as through information that was sent to him via letters… about each transaction. The (shareholder resolutions) were approved by the (then) finance minister, which is Najib.”
Former prime minister Najib, 70, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain an alleged RM2.3-billion bribe from 1MDB funds, as well as 21 charges of money laundering involving the same funds.
The trial before judge Sequerah continues on April 22. – April 5, 2024