Najib: Shahrol too should be in the dock for 1MDB-Tanore

Sunday 19 Jan 2025

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 4): Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi should be facing criminal charges like he is, instead of being the star prosecution witness in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd-Tanore (1MDB-Tanore) trial, as Shahrol, as the then chief executive officer of 1MDB, was the one who took steps to transfer US$700 million in 1MDB funds to a sham entity.

“Isn't he lucky that I am the accused person? Because if I were not the former prime minister of Malaysia and former finance minister, I truly believe the stand he would be occupying wouldn't be the witness stand, but the dock,” Najib said.

Testifying on the stand in his defence in the 1MDB-Tanore trial, Najib said that it was “plain and clear” that Shahrol, fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) and then 1MDB executive director Casey Tang had conspired with current PetroSaudi International (PSI) CEO Tarek Obaid and then PSI director Patrick Mahony to misappropriate the US$700 million, and where Tarek, Mahony and Jho Low had taken that money for themselves.

The US$700 million misappropriated to sham entity Good Star Ltd was from the US$1 billion which 1MDB raised for a purported JV with PSI. Only US$300 million ended up in the actual JV account.

Shahrol had previously testified that he believed Najib was the one who had given instructions for the remittance of the US$1 billion, as Jho Low had told him so.

Najib said this claim is absurd, and contradicts “contemporaneous documented evidence”.

“As for Datuk Shahrol's convenient excuse that he facilitated the remittance of the US$1 billion because he allegedly believed the instructions originated from me — one might almost admire the audacity of such a claim, if it weren't so obviously absurd, as it not only contradicts the contemporaneous documented evidence.

“But then again, when it comes to me, such evidence seems to conveniently be wilfully ignored,” Najib said.

He added that Shahrol’s testimony serves as a political motive against him, and holding Shahrol accountable would weaken the prosecution's case.

“Holding Shahrol accountable would undoubtedly expose the fragility of his narrative and damage his credibility,” Najib said.

The ex-PM said that Shahrol was allowed to hide behind his excuses, to protect his image as a witness.

“He is allowed to hide behind such excuses, essentially getting off scot-free for the US$1 billion loss, just so he can be portrayed as a flawless, perfectly credible witness — perhaps even the gold standard of exemplary witnesses in abuse of power cases against politicians like me,” Najib said.

The trial before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.

Edited ByAniza Damis

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