Former 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi told the High Court today that he never treated fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, as if he were Malaysia’s Prime Minister.
However, the 56-year-old fourth witness in 1MDB’s US$5.64 billion civil suit acknowledged that he had communicated with then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak through an unofficial channel involving Jho Low.
Shahrol Azral made the admission while being cross-examined by lawyer G.K. Ganesan, who is representing former 1MDB investment director Kelvin Tan Kay Jin, the seventh defendant in the suit.
The issue arose when Ganesan questioned Shahrol Azral about whether he had communicated directly with Najib over a dispute involving the Serdar oilfield project between two countries, which was linked to a RM1 billion joint venture agreement.
Ganesan asked whether Shahrol Azral believed it was important, or sufficient, for the then Prime Minister to know that the two countries were in dispute over ownership of Serdar.
“Yes,” Shahrol Azral replied.
The former 1MDB chief executive also acknowledged that he did not know whether Jho Low had informed Najib about the dispute concerning the oil project.
Ganesan then put it to Shahrol Azral that he had treated Jho Low as though the businessman was Malaysia’s Prime Minister.
“I do not agree,” Shahrol Azral replied.
The civil suit was filed by 1MDB and its subsidiaries — 1MDB Energy Holdings Limited, 1MDB Energy Limited, 1MDB Energy (Langat) Limited and Global Diversified Investment Company Limited, formerly known as 1MDB Global Investments Limited — on May 7, 2021.
The plaintiffs named Najib, former 1MDB finance director Terrence Geh Choh Heng, former executive director Casey Tang Keng Chee, former legal adviser Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, Vincent Beng, former chief financial officer Radhi Mohamad, Kelvin Tan and former chief investment officer Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil as defendants.
The suit alleges, among other matters, that the defendants committed breaches of trust, breached statutory duties, abused their powers and conspired to misappropriate 1MDB funds.
Last week, 1MDB agreed to discontinue its civil suit against Radhi without liberty to file it again. The company had previously also removed Jasmine Loo as a defendant.
The trial before Judicial Commissioner Mohamad Redzuan Idrus will continue tomorrow.
