Loo’s singing like a canary in 1MDB hearing

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Jasmine Loo said all major decisions had to be discussed with Jho Low before they were approved by then prime minister Najib Razak, who was chairman of the 1MDB board of advisers.

Loo’s singing like a canary in 1MDB hearing

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT-e4BUa56A&t=35s 

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14, 2024: Former 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) general counsel Jasmine Loo was singing like a canary in High Court yesterday.

She told the High Court that fugitive financier Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) told her to prepare documents for then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to sign.

As the hearing continues before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah, Malaysians can expect to hear “more music” from Loo’s “singing”.

The bombshell of a 1MDB hearing spells more trouble for the disgraced and shameless former premier who is still languishing in prison serving half of his 12-year jail sentence for an earlier 1MDB-related offence.

Najib’s jail sentence was halved by the Pardon’s Board and his RM210 million court fine was reduced to RM50 million last month.

No News Is Bad News reproduces below news reports on 1MDB Najib’s court proceedings:

Jho Low appeared to be Najib’s proxy, witness tells court

Former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo says Jho Low told her to prepare documents for ex-prime minister Najib Razak to sign.

V Anbalagan - 13 Feb 2024, 6:34pm

Jasmine Loo said all major decisions had to be discussed with Jho Low before they were approved by then prime minister Najib Razak, who was chairman of the 1MDB board of advisers.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo told the High Court today that fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, always gave the impression he was close to former prime minister Najib Razak.

“We in 1MDB saw Jho Low as being Najib’s proxy as he (Najib) was also chairman of the 1MDB board of advisers,” she said.

She also said all major decisions had to be discussed with Low before they were approved by Najib.

Loo then identified Najib when deputy public prosecutor Deepa Nair Thevaharan asked if he was in the courtroom.

The witness said that when at 1MDB, she did not meet with Najib except in the presence of other company officials.

“Jho Low would ask me to prepare documents for Najib to sign. I do not know the details of how Jho Low was able to meet Najib to get his signature,” Loo said.

Earlier, Loo, 51, said she worked at Messrs Zain & Co in 1998 and rose to become a partner in the legal firm before leaving in 2008.

She then worked as a general counsel in UBG Bhd between 2009 and 2011 and later took on the same role at 1MDB until November 2013.

Loo said that when at UBG, she was in charge of the company’s legal affairs.

“It was during an interview that I met Jho Low who was a director of UBG,” she said, adding that she was paid RM45,000 in salary and allowances.

Loo then identified Low from a photograph shown to her by Deepa. Low remains a fugitive from the law as the police have been unsuccessful in their efforts to locate him.

The hearing continues before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

Najib was slapped with 25 charges for abuse of power and money laundering over alleged 1MDB funds amounting to RM2.28 billion deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

Najib replaced MACC chief to stop SRC, 1MDB probes, says witness

The anti-graft agency’s investigating officer Nur Aida Arifin says this was done to protect the then prime minister and finance minister from investigation and prosecution.

V Anbalagan - 13 Feb 2024, 8:15pm

(From left) A witness said Najib Razak replaced then MACC chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed with Dzulkifli Ahmad in July 2016.

KUALA LUMPUR: A prosecution witness told the High Court today that Najib Razak appointed a new Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner to stop the agency’s investigation into the SRC International and 1MDB corruption cases.

MACC investigating officer Nur Aida Arifin said Dzulkifli Ahmad was appointed the anti-graft agency’s chief commissioner in July 2016, replacing Abu Kassim Mohamed.

“I received instructions to discontinue the probe on 1MDB. I cannot remember who gave the instructions. I have to look at the investigation papers (for the information),” she said when examined by deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib.

In July 2015, a special task force comprising officers from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), MACC, Bukit Aman and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) began a probe as reports emerged that millions of dollars in US currency were remitted from overseas into Najib’s private accounts.

Aida testified that Abu Kassim was replaced to protect Najib – the then prime minister and finance minister – from investigation and prosecution in the SRC and 1MDB cases.

At the time both GLCs were owned by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc).

Najib was eventually charged with corruption and abuse of power in 2018 after Pakatan Harapan won federal power in the 14th general election (GE14).

The court today also heard nine audio recordings of conversations said to involve Najib, his wife Rosmah Mansor, Dzulkifli and former Baling MP Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim.

The prosecution claims the recordings prove that Najib wanted to scuttle the 1MDB and SRC probes after the task force began its work.

In one of the recordings Dzulkifli, then with the AGC, is heard telling Azeez, a confidante of Najib, that the investigations into SRC and 1MDB did not look good for the then prime minister.

Aida said her investigations also revealed that Good Star, Blackstone, Tanore Finance Corporation and Vista Equity International all had links with 1MDB.

“Good Star belongs to fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, while the rest are owned by Tan Kim Loong,” she added.

According to Aida, her investigations also revealed that the sum of US$100 million did not come from an Arab royal family, as alleged.

“There was also no evidence that he (Najib) acknowledged the contribution from the donor, (the late) King Abdullah,” she said.

Aida said the US$620 million – equivalent to RM2.03 billion at the time – in funds which Najib returned in August 2013 went only to Tanore Finance.

She added that Najib had also never lodged any report with the police or MACC against Jho Low or any of the 1MDB officials when he was prime minister.

Najib is charged with 25 counts of money laundering and abuse of power over alleged 1MDB funds amounting to US$681 million (RM2.28 billion) deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

The hearing before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.

MALAYSIA

Jasmine Loo formerly worked for Jho Low, monthly salary RM45,000

She first met Jho Low, a director of UBG Berhad, during a job interview there

Updated 10 hours ago · Published on 13 Feb 2024 9:45PM

Jasmine Loo testified in the Kuala Lumpur High Court that 1MDB CEO Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi contacted her in early 2011 to offer her the opportunity to join 1MDB as a lawyer, Social media pic.

FORMER 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) general counsel Jasmine Loo Ai Swan told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that she once worked at UBG Berhad, a company owned by fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low, with a monthly salary of about RM45,000, including vehicle allowance, fuel allowance, and travel allowance, from Jan 1, 2009, until April 2011.

Loo, 50, who is the 50th prosecution witness, said she first met Jho Low, who was a director of UBG Berhad, when attending a job interview with the company.

"In October 2008, I learned of a job opportunity at UBG Berhad, a company listed on Bursa Malaysia. The job offer was to handle the legal affairs of the companies under the UBG Berhad group. Subsequently, I attended an interview with UBG Berhad where I met Jho Low for the first time as a director of UBG Berhad.

"I succeeded in the interview and received an offer from UBG Berhad as an executive director of law," she said while reading her 63-page witness statement at the trial of corruption and money laundering charges involving RM2.3 billion of 1MDB funds faced by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

When describing her involvement in 1MDB, Loo said that in early 2011, 1MDB CEO Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi contacted her to offer her the opportunity to join 1MDB as a lawyer, but she did not give any response at that time because she was not ready.

"After that, Shahrol Azral frequently contacted me, and Jho Low also informed me that if I were to join 1MDB, he (Jho Low) had no objections but Jho Low did not force me to join the company," she said, adding that she began working at 1MDB from May 2011 until November 2013.

Regarding Shahrol Azral, the witness said she first met him at UBG Berhad when the company undertook a project with Accenture Consulting in early 2009.

"Shahrol Azral was a partner managing the project. After he left Accenture Consulting, he often came to the UBG Berhad office to attend meetings with Jho Low, representatives from Goldman Sachs, and the team that founded the Terengganu Investment Authority Berhad (TIA), which was later renamed 1MDB.

"I was not involved in those meetings, but I knew of their presence at the UBG Berhad office. From there, I got to know Shahrol Azral and several members of the TIA founding team," she said.

Regarding her duties at 1MDB, the witness said her initial task was to review the joint venture documents that had been executed by 1MDB with Petrosaudi International Limited (PSI).

Najib, 70, faces four charges of using his position (as prime minister) to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.

The trial before Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow. – Bernama, February 13, 2024