PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s defence team maintains that Low Taek Jho a.k.a Jho Low is the central figure in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal despite Low insisting he only acted as an intermediary for deals.
Najib’s defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the fugitive businessman had lied in his interview with Singapore daily The Straits Times by claiming others played a far bigger role in the scandal.
“I don’t think he’s telling the truth.
“I think he is the central figure who organised everything else including the financial institutions or people like the bankers and his cronies who are actually his accomplices,” he said yesterday.
Shafee also believes his client is not getting the best defence as these people, including Low, are absent.
“Is it purposely done to deprive my client of the best defence? These are witnesses my client can use by way of cross-examination and prove my client case,” he said.
Shafee maintains the former premier had been led to believe that Low could open doors to investors in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and China.
In the recent interview, Low stuck to his claim that he is a victim in the 1MDB saga.
“This is not a unique situation. I was requested to assist because of my good relationships with influential foreign businessmen and decision makers,” he said.
To a question on why he has remained on the run, Low claimed the Malaysian government has “victimised” him and his family, ignoring “basic human rights and fair judicial processes”.
He declined to divulge his current location but claimed he had been offered asylum in August last year, although he refused to name the country.
Low faces charges in the United States and Malaysia for his alleged central role in defrauding up to US$4.5bil (RM18.5bil) from 1MDB and the subject of the US Justice Department’s largest ever anti-kleptocracy case.
He has consistently denied wrongdoing and says the charges against him are politically motivated.
Last November, US authorities struck a deal with Low to recoup US$1bil (RM4.11bil) in funds allegedly looted from 1MDB, which included a private jet, high-end real estate in Beverly Hills, New York and London, and other assets.
The deal does not include an admission of guilt or wrongdoing and is not tied to the criminal action against Low.
In the interview, Low alluded to having had “multiple brushes with cancer” and said he now plans to focus on investing in cutting-edge cancer research as part of his “philanthropic efforts”.
Tom Wright, who co-authored the bestseller The Billion Dollar Whale with Bradley Hope, described the interview as “pointless”.
He said Low should instead answer the multiple charges against him by US and Malaysian authorities.
“He’s still on the run in China,” Wright posted on Twitter yesterday.
The Billion Dollar Whale is about how Low allegedly masterminded the 1MDB scandal.
Najib’s defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the fugitive businessman had lied in his interview with Singapore daily The Straits Times by claiming others played a far bigger role in the scandal.
“I don’t think he’s telling the truth.
“I think he is the central figure who organised everything else including the financial institutions or people like the bankers and his cronies who are actually his accomplices,” he said yesterday.
Shafee also believes his client is not getting the best defence as these people, including Low, are absent.
“Is it purposely done to deprive my client of the best defence? These are witnesses my client can use by way of cross-examination and prove my client case,” he said.
Shafee maintains the former premier had been led to believe that Low could open doors to investors in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and China.
In the recent interview, Low stuck to his claim that he is a victim in the 1MDB saga.
“This is not a unique situation. I was requested to assist because of my good relationships with influential foreign businessmen and decision makers,” he said.
To a question on why he has remained on the run, Low claimed the Malaysian government has “victimised” him and his family, ignoring “basic human rights and fair judicial processes”.
He declined to divulge his current location but claimed he had been offered asylum in August last year, although he refused to name the country.
Low faces charges in the United States and Malaysia for his alleged central role in defrauding up to US$4.5bil (RM18.5bil) from 1MDB and the subject of the US Justice Department’s largest ever anti-kleptocracy case.
He has consistently denied wrongdoing and says the charges against him are politically motivated.
Last November, US authorities struck a deal with Low to recoup US$1bil (RM4.11bil) in funds allegedly looted from 1MDB, which included a private jet, high-end real estate in Beverly Hills, New York and London, and other assets.
The deal does not include an admission of guilt or wrongdoing and is not tied to the criminal action against Low.
In the interview, Low alluded to having had “multiple brushes with cancer” and said he now plans to focus on investing in cutting-edge cancer research as part of his “philanthropic efforts”.
Tom Wright, who co-authored the bestseller The Billion Dollar Whale with Bradley Hope, described the interview as “pointless”.
He said Low should instead answer the multiple charges against him by US and Malaysian authorities.
“He’s still on the run in China,” Wright posted on Twitter yesterday.
The Billion Dollar Whale is about how Low allegedly masterminded the 1MDB scandal.
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