Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Najib, the son of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has expressed disappointment that fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, has yet to be brought to justice in connection with the multibillion-ringgit 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.
Nizar also raised concerns that individuals allegedly linked to Jho Low were instead called as witnesses in the high-profile case.
More than US$4 billion was siphoned from 1MDB and allegedly spent on luxury items including artwork, aircraft, a superyacht, jewellery and prime properties, with Jho Low accused of using the funds to finance an extravagant lifestyle overseas.
In a video posted on Facebook on Dec 27, Nizar voiced his dissatisfaction with the High Court’s decision last Friday that found his father guilty on multiple charges linked to the 1MDB scandal. Najib was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment after being convicted on 25 counts of abuse of power and money laundering.
“The main culprit in this case, Jho Low, has still not been found to this day, and those conspiring with him were made witnesses,” Nizar said in the video.
He also claimed that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the government had previously confirmed that funds received by his father were donations from Saudi Arabia, adding that the investigation at the time was deemed satisfactory.
“However, in court, hearsay and double hearsay were relied upon,” he said in a post accompanying the video.
Nizar said his family would continue to stand by Najib and thanked supporters for their continued backing.
In delivering his lengthy judgment, High Court judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah rejected Najib’s defence that the money involved originated from Saudi Arabia. The judge also found evidence showing that instructions issued by Jho Low were treated by 1MDB’s top management as if they had come directly from Najib.
