Jho Low's role in 1MDB kept hidden to protect Najib: Shahrol

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 7): The involvement of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) in 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) had to be kept under wraps, as there were people within Umno who were unhappy with his direct access to Datuk Seri Najib Razak (pictured), the High Court was told.

It was also because such a revelation would affect the ex-prime minister's position in the party, said former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi.

"It became a problem when Najib became the sole shareholder in 1MDB and there were a lot of 'dengki' (envy) [among people within Umno] over Jho Low's influence and access to Datuk Seri Najib.

"It made sense to me when Jho Low told me that his involvement needed to be kept low-key so as to not jeopardise Najib's position in Umno. That was the explanation from 2010 onwards and I accepted that explanation," said Shahrol.

He was replying to defence counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah's questions in the 1MDB-Tanore trial. Najib is facing 25 charges of money laundering and abuse of power for the alleged misappropriation of billions of ringgit in 1MDB funds.

When Shafee countered that "the whole world" knew of Jho Low's involvement in 1MDB and that Shahrol and 1MDB (then Terengganu Investment Authority) director Tan Sri Ismee Ismail openly appointed Jho Low in 2009 as the fund's adviser, the ninth prosecution witness replied that "the context was different in 2009, 2010".

"In 2009-2011 very few people knew he was playing a big role assisting Datuk Seri Najib in his relationship with the Saudis, Abu Dhabis, even the Chinese at that time (2011-2014)," said Shahrol.

Shahrol got to this conclusion after Shafee questioned Shahrol's claim that one reason Jho Low could not be surfaced was because his Chinese ethnicity would be detrimental to Najib's optics.

Shafee: What is the problem of having Jho Low openly involved in 1MDB?

Shahrol: I asked him the same question early on and his answer was that the optics politically would be bad for Najib.

Shafee: The optics is because he is Chinese?

Shahrol: Yes.

Shafee: What about [former executive director Casey Tang? Was he Malay? What about Terrence Geh? [Jho Low] was from Wharton [School of Business]. What was Casey's qualification? [Jho Low] was well qualified.

The trial will continue before Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah tomorrow with Shahrol's cross-examination entering its second day.

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