NAJIB Razak did not interfere in the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigations on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), a witness told the High Court today.

Former 1MDB chief financial officer Azmi Tahir said this when he was being cross-examined by the former prime minister’s lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Shafee had asked the 12th prosecution witness if Najib had stopped the investigations by PAC in 2016, to which Azmi said no.

Shafee: If the PM was behind the 1MDB scandal, you would agree that he would have stopped the PAC’s investigation.

Azmi: Yes.

Shafee: The prime minister didn’t stop this investigation from being carried out?

Azmi: No, he did not.

Shafee told the court the PAC independently found that the management of 1MDB had misled the board of directors.

He read out the PAC report stating that based on the final report of the National Audit Department and explanation by 1MDB, there were limitations and weaknesses in governance made by the 1MDB management and the board of directors.

PAC also believed former 1MDB chief executive officer Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi must take responsibility for those weaknesses and blunders.

It added that law enforcement agencies must carry out further investigation on Shahrol and others involved in the management of 1MDB.

Shafee said 1MDB management was however not as thoroughly investigated as recommended, and none of them have been charged to date.

“The only person charged is Najib, who is not even in the company (1MDB),” he said.

To another question, Azmi said he believes he had not done anything wrong, otherwise his contract as chief finance officer would not be renewed.

“My contract was renewed (by Najib). So, it looked to me, like I didn’t do anything wrong at that point in time.”

However, Shafee did not agree to this argument.

“We cannot justify that just because your contract was renewed, you are white (not wrong).

“PAC doesn’t run 1MDB. So who renews contracts is not the issue here.”

He said the main issue was that PAC recommended for Shahrul and others in charge of managing 1MDB to be investigated.

“PAC asked the authorities to investigate 1MDB. At that time, you were in 1MDB because you were holding the CFO position.

“If the board is misled and it’s supposed to run the company, how can you blame Najib who was also the Finance Minister then (in 2016) to micro-manage?”

Azmi however said the management was investigated, but did not elaborate further.

Najib is standing trial for graft involving RM2.28 billion in 1MDB funds. He faces 25 charges – four for abuse of power and 21 for money laundering – for offences committed between 2011 and 2013.

The case is being heard before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

The trial will continue for case management at 2.30pm tomorrow as Najib has to attend the SRC International appeal hearing in the Federal Court in the morning. – March 14, 2022.