FORMER prime minister Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial enters its ninth day today with former special officer Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin, returning to the stand.

Lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday that he expected to conclude his cross-examination of the witness today.

Yesterday, Amhari testified he was not aware of the defence’s suggestion that Penang-born businessman Low Taek Jho was heavily involved in the formation of the Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA), the precursor to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The witness was also not aware of a list of possible trustees for TIA’s foundation that was allegedly proposed by Low, which included names such as Irish singer Bono and Queen Rania of Jordan.

Amhari also said he was not aware of another suggestion by the defence it was the Terengganu ruler, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, who had the idea to establish TIA, and not Najib.

TIA was started with RM10 billion seed money, including a RM5 billion bond guarantee and funds from Terengganu’s oil revenue of RM1.5 billion annually.

The company ran into red flag issues that led to the federal government taking over in 2009.

Today’s cross-examination is expected to focus on the transition from TIA to 1MDB.

Najib is on trial for four counts of power abuse to enrich himself with RM2.3 billion from 1MDB and 21 counts of money-laundering.

The 66-year-old is represented by a dozen lawyers led by Shafee. Gopal Sri Ram, a former Federal Court justice, leads the prosecution while Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah presides.

The Malaysian Insight brings you today’s proceedings live:

5.29pm: Judge Sequerah asks Amhari to bring all the documents requested by Shafee.

Court adjourned until 9.30am tomorrow.

 5.18pm: Amhari tells the court that he didn’t know as the Maybank officer did not inform him of any discrepancies. 

He says if there were any issues, the Maybank officer would have alerted  him. 

Amhari says there were no queries on the US dollar transanction, so he thought that there were no issues. 

Shafee puts it to Amhari that the US$200,000 was not loan, but a gift from Jho Low. 

Amhari disagrees.

5.03pm: Shafee asks Amhari if he knew that receiving foreign currency is an offence. 

Amhari said he didn’t know it was an offence.

4.38pm: Shafee asks if the US$200,000 that was transferred to his Maybank account was from Jho Low. 

Amhari says it was a loan to buy a house. 

Shafee asks if the funds transferred were in US dollars or ringgit.

Amhari says he thinks it was in dollars.

Shafee asks if Amhari knew that he had to get permission receive foreign currency. 

Amhari said he didn’t know. 

Shafee asks Amhari why he didn’t know if he had worked for Bank Negara.

Amhari said Bank Negara was huge and he didn’t now about transaction rules as he worked in another division.

4.31pm: Court resumes.

3.59pm: Court takes 15-minute recess.

3.51pm: Shafee asks Amhari if the kitchen was Jho Low’s office as there was printer, white board and other office equipment. 

Amhari says he doesn’t know. He says it looks like work could be done there. 

Shafee then asks if there was an office in the apartment. 

Amhari says there was one room like an office and two bedrooms. 

Shafee then asks him if it was uses as an office. 

Amhari says he doesn’t know. 

Shafee says most of the people who attended meetings there said it was used as a safe house and that Amhari went not twice but often. 

Amhari disagreess.

3.13pm: Shafee shows the court 11 photos of various events and asks Amhari to see if he recalls what had transpired.

Shafee asks in all the pictures, is there a photo of the kitchen (of the Kia Peng apartment).

Amhari says there are two.

Shafee asks if was an ordinary white board or otherwise.

Amhari says it was not an ordinary one as what was written on it could be printed out.

2.50pm: Shafee asks Ahmari what was the meeting at Jalan Kia Peng about.

Amhari says Low asked him to come for a meeting as he wanted to share with Amhari what TIA was about.

He says Low gave him a briefing on a white board in the kitchen.  

Shafee asks how times Amhari went to the house.

Amhari says twice.

2.17pm: Shafee asks Amhari about his meeting with Low in a house at Jalan Kia Peng, Kuala Lumpur.

He asks Amhari the reason for him to meet Low.

Shafee also asks Amhari if he met Low before he became an aide to Najib, who was then deputy prime minister.

Amhari says the questions are irrelevant and out of context.

“I’m not sure if I attended the meeting after or before becoming his aide,” says Amhari.

2.08pm: Court is in session.

11.30am: Court will resume at 2pm.

11.27am: Shafee says Low had influence on TIA and 1MDB.

Amhari says yes.

Shafee says the Finance Ministry confirmed the name was changed to 1MDB in September 2009.

11.08am: Shafee asks Amhari who gave the name 1MDB that was sighted on a document.

Amhari says he doesn’t know and that 1Malaysia brand programmes were popular at the time.

Shafee asks if the title came from the Prime Minister’s Office where he was attached.

Amhari says he doesn’t know.

Shafee asks if it is from former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi.

Amhari says he doesn’t know.

10.46am: Shafee asks Amhari if he told Najib’s chief of staff Ab Aziz Rahim about the meeting.

Amhari says yes.

Shafee suggests to Amhari that he didn’t put it in writing because he was protecting Low.

Amhari says no.

Shafee then suggests everyone was quite happy to be in the company of Low.

10.40am: Shafee asks Amhari if he sent a memo to Najib on the matter.

Amhari says no.

10.37pm: Shafee asks Amhari if he regarded the misrepresentation as a serious matter.

Amhari says yes.

He says he had to go through a lot of channels (to get access to Najib).

10.09am: Shafee asks why didn’t Amhari raise to Najib Low’s misrepresentation.

Amhari says getting access to the former prime minister was difficult.

He says as a junior officer he did not have that access, adding he only had access to Najib after working for six months.

9.58am: Shafee asks Amhari if he has doubts about Low’s representation that he was adviser to Sultan Mizan in relation to TIA.

Amhari says he had doubts about Low’s representation.

9.50am: Amhari takes the stand.

9.40am: Court is in session. – September 18, 2019.