KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak says it is convenient to blame him for what happened to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) as this shielded other individuals involved from their own accountability, the High Court here heard.
The former prime minister said the individuals – Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi (former 1MDB chief executive officer), Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin (former special officer), Mohd Hazem Abdul Rahman (former CEO), Azmi Tahir (former chief financial officer) and Jasmine Loo (former general counsel) – had conspired with fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low.
"It is convenient for Shahrol, Amhari, Hazem, Azmi, and Jasmine to place blame on me, as this narrative shields them from accountability for the criminal activities they knowingly, consciously and deliberately executed on Jho Low’s behalf," he said here on Tuesday (Dec 3).
Najib was reading from his 525-page witness statement in the RM2.28bil 1MDB graft trial.
The individuals named, all prosecution witnesses, had previously testified of a "work in silo" culture and a "top-down approach" where they said they believed instructions or action plans that came from Low had the blessings and approval from Najib and therefore must be executed.
"There is no such evidence. In the face of that, what can these lying individuals do to defend themselves but to come out with a unified claim of a top-down approach and that Jho Low, somehow, they 'thought' represented me?
"These preposterous claims only surfaced during the trial and the irresistible inference is that these prosecution witnesses were... (some time) before the trial... brought together to sing one united song of putting the entire blame on me," Najib said.
Najib denied that a silo structure existed within his administration at the Prime Minister's Office.
He said specific instructions were issued to designated individuals as required by its high-level operations.
"When I issued specific instructions, they were directed to a particular individual. This does not constitute a 'silo' approach but rather standard protocol to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the Prime Minister’s work," he added.
Najib is facing four counts of using his position to obtain RM2.28bil gratification from 1MDB's funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount.
The charges were framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act.
If he is convicted at the end of the defence case, Najib is facing imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
The hearing continues in the afternoon before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
