Shafee objected to police recording Najib's statement: Retired cop

Summary

• Retired police investigating officer R Rajagopal testifies that Najib Abdul Razak’s lead defence counsel Shafee Abdullah objected to the police recording the ex-premier’s statement as part of the investigation into 1MDB.

• Najib’s defence witness was believed to be referring to the time when the retired police officer was still in service and the then premier was charged in a separate SRC criminal case in 2018.

1MDB TRIAL | A retired investigating officer testified that lead defence counsel Shafee Abdullah objected to the police recording the statement of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Defence witness R Rajagopal testified before the High Court in Putrajaya today over the police’s attempt to investigate whether Najib ordered the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund to enter a 2009 US$1 billion joint venture with Petrosaudi Holdings (Cayman) Limited.

Najib’s witness was replying to the examination-in-chief by Shafee on whether the retired police officer’s investigation showed that there was ever a directive from Najib, the former chairperson of 1MDB’s board of advisers.

Rajagopal said he was investigating why 1MDB signed the joint venture deal with the Cayman entity when the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund’s board decided to enter a joint venture with Petrosaudi International Limited (PSI).

“On whether Najib gave the order, I did request to record Najib’s statement at the time, but Shafee raised an objection as, at the time, Najib was charged in court.

“Hence, I could not obtain Najib’s explanation over the matter,” Rajagopal testified during today’s RM2.27 billion 1MDB abuse of power and money laundering trial against the ex-premier.

It is believed that Rajagopal was referring to the time when he was still attached with the police, and Najib in 2018 was just charged over a separate abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering case involving RM42 million from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB.

Najib, who is also former finance minister, is serving a six-year jail sentence over the case linked to SRC, which, like 1MDB, is fully owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc).

The prosecution contended that following the joint venture signing, US$700 million from 1MDB was diverted to offshore entity Good Star Limited, which is allegedly owned by shadowy key figure and fugitive Low Taek Jho (Jho Low).

Authorities still unable to find key witness

Meanwhile, Rajagopal testified that Malaysian authorities are still clueless about the whereabouts of alleged Low associate Casey Tang, who went missing after police recorded his statement in Bangkok in 2016.

Rajagopal said he recorded Tang’s statement as part of an investigation into the former 1MDB business development executive director’s role in signing the transfer of US$700 million to Good Star.

The retired police officer pointed out that Tang was the person who presented to the 1MDB board the proposal for the joint venture, which was codenamed Project Aria.

“Tang signed for transfer of US$300 million (of 1MDB funds) to the joint venture, and the US$700 million to Good Star. 

“He needs to explain (to the police) the joint venture working paper and why the US$700 million was not directly transferred to the joint venture,” Rajagopal said on why the police issued an arrest warrant and later an Interpol Red notice against Tang.

Rajagopal: Until today, we do not know Tang’s whereabouts. In spite of Interpol being comprised of 196 member states, there was no information from any nation on his whereabouts.

Shafee: You or the police force or even MACC were unable to find Tang for this (1MDB) trial?

Rajagopal: We tried the (Interpol) Red Notice and arrest warrant, and now, in 2025, we are still unable to track him down.

The police statement recorded from Tang was later tendered in open court before trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

RM42m inflow not related to 1MDB: Najib's witness

Meanwhile, during cross-examination by deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar, former 1MDB executive director of corporate social responsibility (CSR) Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman conceded that his testimony regarding the inflow of RM42 million into Najib’s Malaysian bank account was not related to 1MDB.

Shamsul was testifying over his oral defence yesterday that Najib muttered “My God” when the latter was informed by the former in July 2015 that he had signed the transfer of RM42 million into the ex-premier’s account.

Kamal: You mentioned that MACC investigated you over the transfer of RM42 million from Ihsan Perdana into Najib’s (account) in the SRC case.

Shamsul: Yes.

Kamal: So it has nothing to do with the transfer of 1MDB funds.

Shamsul: None.

Yesterday, Shamsul also testified that MACC unsuccessfully tried to force him to agree to give false testimony against Najib in the SRC case in 2015.

Shamsul was a defence witness who, in the separate trial of the RM42 million SRC International graft case against Najib, had testified that the former prime minister was “shocked” when informed about the monetary transfer.

Najib was convicted and jailed over the SRC case.

The 1MDB trial resumes tomorrow.

50 prosecution witnesses

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

Trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah ruled that the prosecution had succeeded in establishing a prima facie (answerable) case against Najib due to the strength of some 50 witness testimonies.

Between early December last year and late January this year, Najib spent 26 days on the witness stand trying to raise reasonable doubt in the prosecution’s case.

The accused contended that he had neither knowledge nor involvement in wrongdoing at 1MDB and that embezzlement there was solely masterminded by Low and members of the fund’s management.

The former Pekan MP also relied on the defence that he was promised a donation by the late Saudi monarch King Abdullah during a meeting in Riyadh in 2010.

Deputy public prosecutors Kamal Baharin Omar and Ahmad Akram Gharib prosecuted.

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