'Corrupt' ex-aide pointed his finger at Najib: Shafee

Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin was a “corrupt public official” who falsely implicated his ex-boss Najib Abdul Razak, according to the ex-premier’s counsel.

Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that the prosecution witness, who is also Najib’s former special officer, was a patsy of fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho (Jho Low).

The defence counsel pointed out that Amhari was unable to provide solid evidence on the witness’s claim that Najib was involved in the 2009 formation of Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA), which later morphed into 1MDB.

Shafee claimed there are no corroborative witnesses to back Amhari’s testimony that he attended a 2009 meeting on behalf of Najib for the setting up of TIA.

“Amhari is a corrupt public official. He knowingly accepted a US$200,000 ‘loan’ directly from Low as a bridging loan to finance his property purchase.

“Amhari has every reason to extricate himself from his complicity with Low and to inculpate Najib instead.”

The lawyer also said Amhari’s credibility could be salvaged if his wrongdoings were attributable to his superior’s instructions or approvals instead of his personal corrupt motive.

“Amhari came as a witness with a programme in his head, almost like a chip entered his head.

“He had to say all that as he had been taking bribes from Low,” Shafee told trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

During the RM2.27 billion 1MDB power abuse and money laundering trial against Najib, Amhari testified among others that Low was in the Najib family’s inner circle.

Amhari also testified that Low was an important adviser to Najib and the ex-premier often met with Low to discuss confidential issues.

Najib is on trial over the four power abuse charges and 21 money laundering counts involving RM2.27 billion of 1MDB’s funds.

The charges

For the four abuse of power charges, the former Pekan MP allegedly committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch in Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur, between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014.

On the 21 money laundering counts, Najib purportedly committed the offences at the same bank between March 22 and Aug 30, 2013.

The Minister of Finance (Incorporated) fully owns 1MDB.

The accused was first charged on Sept 20, 2018, and his criminal trial began on Aug 28, 2019.

On May 30 this year, the prosecution closed its case, six years after the former prime minister was first charged in late 2018.

The proceedings are now in the oral submissions stage, which involves no witness testimonies, only legal teams summing up whether the evidence implicated or exonerated Najib.

Fifty witnesses took the stand for the prosecution, including Amhari and 1MDB’s former general counsel Jasmine Loo.

Loo was allegedly part of Low’s inner circle.

Prosecutors claimed that Najib received RM2.27 billion misappropriated from the troubled sovereign wealth fund between 2011 and 2014.

However, Najib’s defence team contended that the former premier had no knowledge of any wrongdoing at 1MDB and that any wrongdoing that may have happened was solely masterminded by Low and members of the fund’s management.

The former finance minister also previously contended that the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia promised the accused financial donation for political purposes.

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