Najib’s Bold Confrontation: The Moment He Faced Jho Low About His Opulent Existence

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak acknowledged at the High Court today that he was aware of Jho Low’s well-known, extravagant lifestyle but never confirmed the fugitive entrepreneur’s assertion that the acquisitions he made on multimillion-dollar properties and costly artworks were on behalf of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the sibling of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

While testifying as the initial defence witness in his trial for allegedly misappropriating RM2.3 billion from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the former prime minister admitted to being cognizant of Jho Low’s reputation at that period, as tales about his lavish expenditures on properties and paintings were disseminated.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Mohamad Mustaffa P. Kunyalam referenced Najib to an article published by an online platform, which reported that Jho Low, also known as Low Taek Jho, had pursued real estate, including condominiums, penthouses, and mansions in the United States, Singapore, and France, along with artworks by Andy Warhol and Claude Monet.

During the cross-examination by Mohamad Mustaffa, the 71-year-old former prime minister expressed his discomfort with Jho Low’s lifestyle and confronted him about it.

“I confronted him (Jho Low) regarding this, and he repeatedly insisted that he was acting for Sheikh Mansour. I was uncomfortable with his extravagant way of living.

“This was his justification to me and he reiterated several times that the acquisitions were intended for Sheikh Mansour,” stated Najib.

The DPP then proposed that Najib, who was the prime minister at that moment and at the zenith of power, could have inquired into the veracity of Jho Low’s claims concerning Sheikh Mansour.

Najib replied that probing the claim would have necessitated engaging with other foreign governments, as Sheikh Mansour was the brother of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince.

Mohamad Mustaffa: You could have Investigated, but you opted not to. You were closing your eyes and did not wish to acknowledge the evident.

Najib: I disagree. I felt uneasy with the media report, which is why I confronted him.

Mohamad Mustaffa: I assert that you didn’t want to investigate him because he was acting on your behalf.

Najib: No, no, no, I merely utilized Jho Low for his international connections to the Saudis. I didn’t want individuals to believe that I was beholden to him; I wanted individuals to recognize that I was using him, merely to tap into his connections.

Further questioned by the DPP, Najib mentioned that he first encountered Jho Low in 2007 while serving as Deputy Prime Minister, as his stepson, Riza Aziz, was a close friend of Jho Low’s brother during their time as students at the London School of Economics.

Najib concurred with the suggestion that Jho Low was often seen at his residence, explaining that this was a result of Jho Low’s close association with Riza.

Earlier, a voice recording of Najib and a man purportedly the Managing Director and CEO of Mubadala, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, was presented in court.

From the recording, Mohamad Mustaffa questioned the witness whether it was accurate that he (Najib) directed his former special officer, Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin, to meet Khaldoon in Abu Dhabi to address issues concerning Riza and to postpone the arbitration process between 1MDB and International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC).

In response, Najib refuted the allegation and stated that these were distinct matters and should not be conflated.

Similarly, Najib also denied receiving any text from former 1MDB chairman Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh regarding the emerging issues within the sovereign wealth fund, specifically expressing concerns over 1MDB’s joint venture with PetroSaudi.

In this same trial, Mohd Bakke earlier testified that he resigned as chairman of 1MDB as a form of protest, following his suspicions that ‘something amiss’ was occurring within the company.

On Oct 30 last year, Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah ordered Najib to present his defence, after ruling that the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case against him.

Najib faces 25 charges, including four counts of utilizing his position to receive RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds as bribes and 21 charges of money laundering concerning the same amount.

The trial continues tomorrow.