KUALA LUMPUR – The lead counsel representing former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in his ongoing 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial has asserted that there is no evidence linking his client to any criminal conspiracy related to the scandal in the United States.
Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said that one of the witnesses flown in from the US, former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng Chong Hwa, appeared visibly surprised when Najib’s name was mentioned in relation to the scandal during proceedings at the High Court last week.
“Roger Ng, who is currently facing a 10-year prison sentence in the US after being convicted on three counts of conspiracy and misappropriation involving 1MDB funds, firmly stated that Najib had no involvement in the scandal,” said Shafee at a press conference outside the High Court today.
He added that other individuals, including former Goldman Sachs executive Tim Leissner, had also been convicted in the US and are awaiting sentencing, while fugitive financier Low Taek Jho—commonly known as Jho Low—remains at large and has yet to face trial.
“What’s crucial here is that Najib’s name has never been directly implicated in the scandal. When Roger Ng was subpoenaed as a defence witness last week, he clearly stated that Datuk Seri Najib was not involved.
“In fact, Roger Ng was surprised that Najib’s name came up. He confirmed there was no evidence presented in the New York court suggesting Najib’s involvement in the 1MDB conspiracy,” Shafee stressed.
He further noted that this testimony aligns with the defence team’s consistent position and demonstrates that US investigative bodies—including the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)—have never directly linked Najib to the misappropriation of 1MDB funds.
“This entire 1MDB case originated from DOJ complaints, yet we now know that credible agencies like the FBI never reported any involvement by Najib,” Shafee added.
Last Thursday, Roger Ng, testifying as the 25th defence witness in Najib’s 1MDB trial, told High Court Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah that he never believed Najib was part of the conspiracy orchestrated by Jho Low and Tim Leissner.
Ng testified that in his US trial, he maintained that he was not a conspirator and placed full blame on Leissner and Jho Low for manipulating and misusing 1MDB funds.
— MalaysiaGazette
