KUALA LUMPUR – The proceeding of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) was heated today during the cross-examination by Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s defence counsel with the former Chief Financial Officer of 1MDB, Azmi Tahir.
Defence counsel, Datuk Hariharan Singh Tara Singh and Azmi were involved in what seemed like a heated argument.
Azmi became irrigated after being continuously questioned by Hariharan, who alleged that his answers were defensive.
In an irritated tone, he said that he was only stating what he knew and there was nothing he could do if the defence counsel could not understand him.
“I was not being defensive. I was only answering questions. Perhaps you don’t understand but I was merely answering what I knew,” he said before High Court Judge, Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
Azmi also explained why he accepted all instructions given by fugitive businessman, Low Taek Jho or Jho Low as the senior management of 1MDB truly believed that he carried the mandate from Najib.
During the cross-examination, Hariharan asked why didn’t Azmi ask Najib who Jho Low was. Cynically, Azmi answered that he did not meet Jho Low at the streets but he was with Najib.
Hariharan: Why did you merely follow Jho Low’s instruction? Are you his vassal?
Azmi: Not true. At that time, I believed that Jho Low was very close with Najib.
Hariharan: Why didn’t you just ask Najib about Jho Low’s order but you simply believed in those instructions?
Azmi: I did not meet Jho Low on the streets. I saw him with Najib. I saw him with the late Datuk Azlin Alias.
Najib, the former Prime Minister and the Member of Parliament of Pekan is currently facing 25 counts of money-laundering and criminal breach of trust charges over RM2.3 billion of 1MDB funds.
The proceeding will resume at 9.00 am tomorrow. -MalaysiaGazette
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