KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin said he feared former employer Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the latter had the ability to ruin his life, the High Court heard today.
During cross-examination by defence counsel Tan Sri Mohammad Shafee Abdullah at Najib’s main 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption trial today, the former special officer to Najib was asked to justify the purported fear that he alluded to in yesterday’s testimony.
He previously testified that he had not challenged the former prime minister and fugitive financier Low Taek Jho on matters related to 1MDB despite his own suspicions as he had feared for his life, career and his family’s wellbeing.
Shafee: You must have some idea. Who would threaten your life? Or are you saying Najib would carry the gun and shoot you?
Amhari: The powers that be. So, the PM has all the authority to do many things. When I said ‘life’, it does not mean my life; that is the extreme part but it could also mean my livelihood.
He said he had shared such concerns with his supervisor at the time, the late Datuk Azlin Alias, and that the latter had advised him to obey Low’s instructions as these had Najib’s “blessings”.
Shafee then asked Amhari again whether the threat came directly from Najib, and by extension, Low.
“As Azlin had actually left, the threat was not directly from the prime minister, but indirectly from the prime minister... and Jho Low,” said Amhari.
In 2012, Amhari and Azlin had travelled to Singapore to meet Low, and subsequently, open BSI Bank accounts under their names.
Amhari said Low had instructed them to open the accounts on the pretext that they were meant for the 13th general election.
He said Low had also told him that Najib had given his blessing to the move.
Shafee then asked Amhari whether he took every opportunity to raise his concerns about the accounts and the fact that his employer had given the go-ahead to open them.
Amhari said he was not able to do so as it was difficult to secure a meeting with Najib as he was only a junior officer at the time who was following the lead of his supervisor, Azlin.
