The High Court in Kuala Lumpur heard on Tuesday that Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed, the then chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), was replaced in 2016 to protect Datuk Seri Najib Razak from being investigated and charged in relation to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal. This was revealed by MACC senior superintendent Nur Aida Arifin, 37, when verifying the content of an audio recording of a conversation between Najib, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and his former special officer Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin.
Nur Aida stated that Najib, as the then prime minister, took actions that influenced the investigation of the case. After Tan Sri Abu Kassim was replaced by Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad, she received instructions not to continue the investigation.
When asked by Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib about the source of the instructions, Nur Aida said she could not remember but did receive them and recorded them in her investigation diary.
In the court, an audio recording was also played of a conversation between Najib and the executive officer of Mubadala in Abu Dhabi, Khaldoon Al-Mubarak. The witness mentioned that the discussion was about the production of a film by Najib’s stepson, Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz, using funds from 1MDB.
In Tuesday’s proceedings, nine audio recordings were played in court, allegedly involving Najib, Rosmah, and several high-profile individuals connected to the 1MDB investigation. Voices identified by the witness included those of Dzulkifli, former Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, Najib’s former private secretary Tan Sri Shukry Mohd Salleh, Amhari, UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Zayed Al Nahyan, and Khaldoon.
Nur Aida also stated that Najib did not instruct authorities to investigate the fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, who played significant roles in 1MDB, despite not holding an official position in the company.
Her investigation showed no written letters sent by Najib to King Abdullah or the Saudi Arabian government as a token of appreciation or gratitude for any donations, as alleged by the former prime minister. She also mentioned that companies alleged to have channelled donation funds from the Saudi Arabian government into Najib’s accounts had no business dealings with 1MDB, and there was no evidence suggesting that the Saudi Arabian government had informed or told Najib that the donations would first enter these company accounts before being channelled into his accounts.
Najib, 70, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3bil from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.- Bernama
