1MDB trial: Donation from Arab prince claim a cover-up, says prosecution

KUALA LUMPUR: Former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his "mirror image", Low Taek Jho, or better known as Jho Low, had taken steps to cover his tracks in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, including the pretence that money was funnelled in through a donation by an Arab prince, the High Court heard.

Lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram said after the 1MDB scandal broke in early July 2015, sham documents were produced to pretend it was a donation from the Arab prince.

"Among those were letters and four cheques each for a sum of USD$25mil (RM105mil), purportedly written out by a person said to be the Arab donor.

"But these cheques were never meant to be encashed and were never encashed," he said in his opening speech on the first day of the 1MDB trial here on Wednesday (Aug 28).

Sri Ram added that the prosecution will produce evidence to show that Najib had taken active steps to evade justice.

"He interfered with the course of investigation of this case, which has come to be known as the 1MDB scandal.

"He took active steps to effect a cover up of his criminal acts. The prosecution will rely on all this evidence to show that the accused had the requisite mens rea when the offences with which he is charged were committed," Sri Ram said.

Najib is facing four charges of having used his position to obtain gratification, totalling RM2.3bil from 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same money.

He faces imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of up to five times the sum or value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if found guilty.

The Pekan MP is alleged to have committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd, No 55, Jalan Raja Chulan, Bukit Ceylon here, between 2011 and 2014.