Najib: US, former M'sian opposition conspired to effect regime change

1MDB TRIAL | Najib Abdul Razak has testified that the United States government under the Democrats collaborated with the then-Malaysian opposition to effect regime change when he was prime minister.

The former premier told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that this bureaucratic hindrance was in relation to his 1MDB-linked evidence discovery bid before a US court in 2021.

“I also believe this (US) forfeiture action was politically motivated and orchestrated as part of a collaboration between the US Democratic Party and the then-opposition party in Malaysia to effect a regime change in Malaysia. 

“I further believe that this collaboration was the key motive in obstructing my access to the exculpatory evidence as it would undermine their narrative and expose the untruths in their allegations against me,” Najib told the court today during his RM2.27 billion 1MDB abuse of power and money laundering trial.

Last Friday, Najib testified that a “politically-motivated” US Justice Department (DOJ) blocked his attempt to get 1MDB-linked evidence.

He also mused that he may be able to get a hold of the evidence now that Donald Trump of the Republican party is slated to take office as the next US president.

‘Evidence would have vindicated me’

Najib told judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah that the US hindrance of his bid for evidence has severely handicapped his defence against the 1MDB criminal charges.

The accused lamented how then US attorney-general (AG) Loretta Lynch disclosed to the world about various 1MDB-linked evidence, and that the superpower blocking him from recovering evidence amounted to an attempt to “lynch” him.

“Without the exculpatory evidence, I am left to face prosecution in Malaysia with my hands tied. 

“Prosecution witnesses have levelled accusations against me, and without access to this crucial evidence, I am unable to effectively confront them.

“I am of the view that the DOJ was so protective of this exculpatory evidence because it must be so beneficial to me that it would directly rebut the wild allegations raised in their civil forfeiture actions, including the DOJ civil forfeiture suit filed in 2016, in the case of the US v Wolf of Wall Street Motion Picture,” Najib said.

The former finance minister testified that the 1MDB-linked evidence would vindicate him.

“InsyaAllah, if the evidence is tabled (before the Kuala Lumpur High Court), I feel confident I would be exonerated,” Najib reiterated.

When met by the media at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex around midday today, lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the US government’s actions raise the issue of fair trial.

“The US government and DOJ make noise about fair trial but here they behave differently.

“How to get a fair trial if you (US government) withhold evidence that can show Najib is innocent,” Shafee said, lamenting that it seemed to show the superpower treated Malaysia like a banana republic.

The veteran counsel warned Malaysians against being fooled by the US, which through its Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) effected regime change worldwide.

Prosecutors contended that fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho’s (Jho Low) actions in embezzling funds from 1MDB were with the blessing of Najib.

However, the former chairperson of 1MDB’s board of advisers contended that he has neither knowledge nor involvement in the wrongdoing and that the misappropriation was solely masterminded by Low and members of the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund’s management

Abuse of power, money laundering charges

On Oct 30, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered Najib to enter his defence over four abuse of power and 21 money laundering charges involving RM2.27 billion of funds from 1MDB.

Sequerah ruled that the prosecution succeeded in establishing a prima facie (answerable) case against Najib over the Minister of Finance Incorporated’s (MOF Inc) wholly owned company.

The judge ruled that Najib had to answer the charges due to the strength of the various 50 witness testimonies during the prosecution stage of proceedings that lasted six years since the trial began in 2019. The accused was first charged in 2018.

Najib is serving a six-year jail sentence over a separate abuse of power case involving RM42 million of funds from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB.

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