KUALA LUMPUR: Fugitive financier Low Taek Jho had attended a 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) board of directors meeting some 12 years ago, but his name was later omitted from the meeting’s minutes, the High Court has heard.
Former 1MDB investment director Kelvin Tan testified that Low, better known as Jho Low, was present at the company’s meeting on Sept 26, 2009, despite not having an official position in the company.
Tan, 50, said to his knowledge at that time, Low did not hold any position in the company that could have warranted his presence in the meeting.
Tan is the eighth prosecution witness in the 1MDB audit report tampering trial involving Datuk Seri Najib Razak and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy.
Also present in the Sept 26 meeting were former company chairman Datuk Mohd Bakke Salleh, directors Datuk Ismee Ismail, Tan Sri Azlan Mohd Zainol and Tan Sri Che Lodin Wok Kamaruddin, former CEO Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi and executive director Casey Tang.
“During the meeting, Che Lodin did ask Low about his attendance, to which Low replied that he had a role in the company’s board of advisors.
“All those who attended the meeting took note of his answer, but nobody disputed it,” Tan said yesterday.
Tan, who was reading his witness statement, said he had prepared minutes of the meeting that contained Low’s name as one of the participants, as instructed by Shahrol Azral and Tang.
The witness was also referred to another copy of the minutes of the meeting by the prosecution, but this version did not have Low’s name.
“I confirm that I have never seen this document (the document without Low’s name) until the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) showed it to me when my statement was recorded,” he said.The witness also told the court that the content of the document that was referred to him was similar to the document he prepared, with the exception of one detail.
He said on page one of the document shown to him by the MACC, there was only one name under the “By Invitation” list, which was “Casey Tang”, when in fact, another person who attended the meeting was Low.
“I have no knowledge how Low’s name was omitted from that document.
“However, I can confirm that Low did attend the meeting on Sept 26, 2009,” he said.
Another witness, Tan Sri Mazidah Abdul Majid, 72, testified that Najib had agreed for the Auditor-General to look into an audit report on 1MDB that was prepared by independent audit firm Deloitte Malaysia.
Mazidah, who was the former deputy chief secretary (Cabinet), said the decision was made during a Cabinet meeting on March 4, 2015, where she had prepared the meeting minutes.
Najib is charged with using his position to order amendments to the 1MDB final audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee to avoid any action being taken against him.
Arul is charged with abetting Najib in making the amendments to the report to protect the former premier from being subjected to action.
Both of them were charged under Section 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
The hearing resumes before Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan on Sept 9.
Source: The Star
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