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S'pore banker spent night in Jho Low's apartment, court told
Published:  Nov 17, 2016 10:58 AM
Updated: 3:14 AM

The Singapore court was told former Swiss BSI banker Yeo Jiawei was not merely a junior bank employee, but had spent a night at Penang-born billionaire Jho Low's apartment and wore the latter's clothes, reported The Edge Daily.

This was according to deputy public prosecutor Tan Kiat Pheng, who cross examined Yeo in court yesterday in an ongoing money-laundering case linked to 1MDB.

Tan had accused the former wealth planner of downplaying his relationship with Jho Low, who is allegedly implicated in the 1MDB scandal.

Earlier, Yeo had claimed he was merely a junior bank officer who merely took instructions from Low relayed to him via senior colleagues, including his former boss Kevin Swampillai and Low's private banker Yak Yew Chee.

Yak was sentenced to an 18-week jail term and a fine of S$24,000 (approximately RM75,000) after pleading guilty to four criminal charges in Singapore court.

Yeo is facing four counts of perverting the course of justice by urging witnesses to lie to the police while he was released on bail, after police arrested him on March 17.

This is in connection with Singapore's largest money-laundering investigation.

He is also facing several counts of money-laundering, cheating and forgery in a separate trial scheduled to be heard next year.

'Clearly lying'

Yeo said he had met Low personally 10 times at most, and taken Low's private jet not more than three times.

He also explained circumstances of the photograph taken by himself that showed Low inside the latter's private jet before it departed from Singapore to Hong Kong.

The flight was planned at the eleventh hour, he said, thus he did not pack his luggage and he only spent a few hours at Hong Kong's airport before heading back Singapore.

The DPP pressing Yeo on his relationship with Low said, “Let me remind you, I won’t put things to you unless I have evidence.”

He said Yeo had indeed spent a night at Low's apartment in Hong Kong, and even wore Low's clothes.

Yeo also took Low's jet from Shanghai to Hong Kong on June 4, 2015, said Tan.

Tan also accused Yeo of lying when the latter told the court that he had first met Low in 2012 in Singapore to discuss a life insurance plan for Low.

The prosecutor pointed out Yeo first met Low in 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, according to witness Oh Yong Yang, a Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) officer.

"You are clearly, clearly lying in court," Tan said.

The trial continues on Thursday.

Low is at the heart of a massive US forfeiture suit to recover expenses the Department of Justice claims had been embezzled from 1MDB and spent in the country.

These include funds for the Hollywood blockbuster 'The Wolf of Wall Street'.

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