PUTRAJAYA, Jan 21 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak today said it was not wrong for him as prime minister to hear updates from an Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) official on the outcome of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) 1MDB investigation against him in 2016.

Najib said this while testifying in his own trial involving over RM2 billion of 1MDB funds, which allegedly entered his personal AmIslamic bank accounts and which he is accused of laundering as illegal money.

Today, deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib read out multiple excerpts of a 12-page transcript of a recorded 14.51 minute-long phone call on January 5, 2016 close to midnight from deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad to Najib.

Najib did not dispute that the phone conversation took place, but instead confirmed it was about a probe against him. Najib was prime minister from 2009 to 2018.

Akram: Clearly the purpose of the call is to update you about MACC’s investigation. The whole conversation is about a DPP updating you on an investigation that was carried out against you, correct, Datuk Seri?

Najib: Ya, ya.

Akram: Agree with me, at the point of this conversation, you were the then prime minister?

Najib: Correct.

Akram: Agree with me, you as prime minister should not listen to the explanation of a DPP about an investigation that is being carried out against you yourself?

Najib: I did not interfere, I did not interfere at all.

Akram: The fact that you let yourself listen to an update about an investigation against you is wrong.

Najib: I disagree.

Najib disagreed that the reason why he had enquired about the 1MDB investigation against him was because he had a personal interest in 1MDB.

Akram said that the investigation in the recorded phone call was being carried out against Najib in 2015 over the money deposited in the latter’s personal bank accounts, and that the money was said to have originated from 1MDB.

Dzulkifli was serving in the AGC as National Revenue Recovery Enforcement Team director, before he was appointed as the MACC chief on August 1, 2016.

Dzulkifli replaced his predecessor Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed, who left his role as MACC chief on August 1, 2016 before reaching the mandatory retirement age.

Dzulkifli resigned as MACC chief in mid-May 2018, days after a change in government.

Earlier, when suggested by deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar that the MACC was probing both 1MDB and him, Najib said he did not know the scope of the investigation but agreed 1MDB was being investigated.

Najib said he had only heard of three top MACC leaders leaving MACC in 2016 --- Abu Kassim, his two deputies Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull (who retired early on July 31, 2016) and Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali (who was transferred to head the Immigration Department on August 1, 2016 — but said he did not order these changes in the MACC leadership.

Najib said he did not fire Abu Kassim and said he heard the latter had agreed with the leadership change, adding that Abu Kassim ---- who was well-respected internationally for anti-corruption efforts — later took on a new international anti-corruption role in Vienna.

Najib disagreed that Abu Kassim’s replacement Dzulkifli differed in stature, saying that the latter had wide experience before becoming MACC chief.

Najib denied swapping out Abu Kassim as MACC was investigating 1MDB and him, and chuckled as he disagreed with the suggestion that he had placed Dzulkifli as the new MACC chief because he had an interest there.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak has denied protecting broker Jho Low. — Picture via Facebook
Datuk Seri Najib Razak has denied protecting broker Jho Low. — Picture via Facebook

Najib denies protecting Jho Low

Akram also highlighted that multiple “red flags” about Low Taek Jho’s wrongdoing was made clear to him as early as 2009 and 2015, but Najib denied that he had protected the latter by denying the latter’s role in 1MDB.

Akram then pointed out Najib’s written parliamentary reply as finance minister on March 12, 2015 to Wangsa Maju MP Tan Kee Kwong’s oral question on whether there were any business dealings or links between 1MDB and Low.

Akram read out Najib’s one-line answer: “Mr Low Taek Jho never worked in 1MDB and all 1MDB decisions and business are made by the 1MDB’s management and board of directors.”

Akram said Najib had a chance to explain in Parliament but that he had chosen to “sway away” from the question and just gave a general answer, suggesting that Najib was “trying to cover up for Jho Low” with such an answer.

But Najib denied this, having also claimed that he had never blocked investigations on 1MDB.

Akram then asked why Najib did not make Low a part of 1MDB — either as 1MDB’s management team, 1MDB’s board of directors or 1MDB’s board of advisers, since Najib had in his witness statement declared this Malaysian to be of high calibre, influential and well-connected and successful at a young age.

But Najib said he did not do so, as he was using Low for his Middle East connections and as there would be a “conflict of interest” if Low worked for 1MDB. This was because Low was representing Saudi Arabia’s and the United Arab Emirates’ interest, he said.

Akram suggested that Najib did not give Low any formal role in 1MDB because he was using Low as his intermediary to receive monies from 1MDB, but Najib denied this.

Akram: This is so if anything were to happen, such as if the authorities were to ask you about transactions, you can shift the blame to him and maintain your innocence.

Najib: No, no, I disagree.

Najib also disagreed that he had continued to trust Low to perform personal favours for him despite multiple red flags being raised on Low.

When Akram suggested that Low was indeed his mirror image for 1MDB matters, Najib chuckled repeatedly as he said “no way” a few times and said “no, no”.

Najib denied he had given the impression to 1MDB, Finance Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office officials that he was very close with Low and that anything that Low said came from him.

Among other things, Najib also denied that the money which entered his personal account was 1MDB money or from illegal activities, and said he did not spend illegal money.

Najib also disagreed that he had spent such money in his accounts for his own benefit to obtain political funds to ensure his own “political survival” and also denied 1MDB was set up to be a political fund for Barisan Nasional and Umno.

Najib’s 1MDB trial before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah resumes tomorrow.