KUALA LUMPUR (July 26): Court of Appeal judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah disclosed on Wednesday (July 26) at the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB-Tanore) abuse of power and money laundring trial of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, that he and recently arrested former legal counsel of the firm, Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, had worked in a law firm together some 10-15 years ago.

The judge  made the disclosure, stressing that was the extent of their relationship after defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah asked the prosecution whether Loo would be called as a witness in the trial. Loo would be a highly relevant witness, next to fugitive financier Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), Shafee said.

“She is definitely, as far as the defence is concerned, a highly relevant witnesss, perhaps second to Jho Low. I would like to place it on record, whether Jasmine Loo would be called as prosecution witness or offered as defence witness,” he said.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib said that Loo was still in the custody of the police and that at the moment, the prosecutors at the Attorney General Chambers (AGC) have not received any "outcome" on the ongoing investigations.

"She is still in the hands of the investigators. I'm sure statements are recorded from her. At the moment we [at the] AGC have not received any investigation outcome or statements from her yet.

"Therefore I can't make a position now whether we are going to call her or not," he said, adding that once investigations are complete, he will seek instructions from the attorney general.

Collin then interjected to inform both parties that Jasmine and he had worked in Zain & Co more than a decade ago before he was elevated to the bench.

"The said individual [and I] were partners formally. I thought I would just make this disclosure. This was when I was in practice many years ago, maybe 10-15 years [ago],” he said.

“She worked with me in legal chambers and that’s it. We had no other relationship,” he added.

Shafee then said that Zain & Co was a big firm to which Collin responded that it was a medium to big firm.

The government had announced earlier this month that Loo was arrested on July 7 by the police.

Loo is among a group linked to 1MDB who had fled Malaysia in 2018 and who is wanted by the authorities. She is perceived to be a central character in the heist of 1MDB funds amounting to billions of dollars, and her name had often been mentioned in the current trial as well as Najib’s SRC International Sdn Bhd trial which has already been concluded.

In a civil suit brought against her by the government to forfeit her assets, a High Court in January allowed the forfeiture of her Audi Q5 2.0 TFSI, a Volkswagen New Beetle 1.6(A) and cash amounting to RM22,600. However, her condo in Mukim Batu was handed to OCBC Bank.

Loo is also one of a number of defendants, including Najib and former 1MDB officers, that are being sued by 1MDB in an US$8 billion (RM36.4 billion) suit.

Prior to Loo surrendering herself to the police, another Jho Low accomplice Kee Kok Thiam had also surrendered to the authorities a few months ago.

However, Kee, 56, died a few weeks later in May of a massive stroke at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

Najib was found guilty of all seven charges in relation to SRC International and has been serving his 12-year jail term since August 23 last year.

Najib was also fined RM210 million.