1MDB trial: Najib's lawyer jabs ex-chairperson for 'sulking'

1MDB trial | Najib Abdul Razak’s lawyer clashed with 1MDB’s former chairperson in court today over the latter purportedly not wanting to meet the former premier in 2009.

The atmosphere in the Kuala Lumpur High Court heated up when defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah claimed 15th prosecution witness Mohd Bakke Salleh was sulking (merajuk).

Shafee (above) intensified his cross-examination of Bakke when the latter claimed Najib was the reason the sovereign wealth fund’s management disregarded its board of directors.

The witness had testified of his suspicion that 1MDB’s management was ignoring the board’s directions due to instructions from Najib and businessperson Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low.

Bakke previously testified he suspected Najib was involved in irregular transactions at 1MDB and that he did not meet the then prime minister to raise his concerns.

Bakke, who is currently the Petronas chairperson, resigned from 1MDB’s board in October 2009.

The witness also previously testified he found it unusual Najib did not reply to his SMS message over concerns about irregular activities at 1MDB.

Among the irregular transactions was the diversion of US$700 million of 1MDB funds into the account of Good Star Limited, an entity allegedly controlled by Low. The prosecution contended Low’s actions relating to 1MDB were done under the authority of Najib.

During proceedings before trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah around midday today, Shafee was grilling Bakke on why the latter suspected Najib instead of members of 1MDB management.

Shafee: You have voluminous reasons to be suspicious of management, actual criminality by management. What did you do with it? With the PM (Najib), you merajuk. You did not want to meet PM.

Bakke: Merajuk is a wrong choice of words, but you can say whatever you want.

Shafee: As a responsible chairperson of 1MDB, it does not matter who was the PM. You tell the PM face-to-face what is happening in 1MDB. If you do not seize it now (opportunity to inform Najib then), we are going down the drain. You should have told him.

You relied on an SMS that may or may not reach him (Najib). That was irresponsible of you as a former 1MDB chairperson.

Bakke: No comment.

At one point during proceedings, the witness remarked that Shafee seemed to know him better than he did himself.

“Shafee is taking me on a roller coaster ride and putting me back on at the same starting point,” Bakke retorted.

To this, Shafee replied he does not like being on roller coasters, will never take a roller coaster ride, and will not be taking the witness on any roller coaster.

Hearing before Sequerah continues this afternoon.

Pekan MP Najib is on trial for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion of 1MDB’s funds.

The prosecution contended that the wrongdoing at 1MDB was done by Low with the blessing of Najib.

The defence team claimed the accused had no knowledge of wrongdoing and that the whole embezzlement scheme was solely masterminded by Low and several members of the fund’s management team.

Besides being a former premier and finance minister, Najib also used to be the chairperson of 1MDB’s board of advisors.

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