NAJIB Razak’s former special officer, Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin, testified at the 1Malaysia Development Bhd trial today that he had met a Singaporean banker who would later be among the first to be convicted for offences linked to the scandal plagued state investment firm. 

Amhari told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that he, along with Najib’s principal private secretary, Azlin Alias, and fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, met former BSI banker Yvonne Seah at the Le Méridien hotel in Singapore.

The witness did not say when the meeting took place. 

Azlin died in a helicopter crash on April 4, 2015. 

When cross-examined by lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah today, Amhari said he was brought to the meeting to sign documents related to Aerospace Ltd. 

Amhari told the court he was following Azlin’s instructions and was introduced to Seah during the meeting. 

Shafee: Yvonne brought lots of documents, either incorporation or transfer documents? 

Amhari: I signed whatever Datuk Azlin asked me to sign.

Shafee: Datuk Azlin signed a set, you must have signed another set because this is solely your account?

Amhari: Correct.

The witness said Seah handed him further documents to sign.

Seah was sentenced to two weeks’ jail on December 16, 2016, for failing to report suspicious transactions where tens of millions of dollars flowed in and out of accounts linked to Low, commonly known as Jho Low. She was also fined S$10,000 (RM30,000).

Her colleague, Yak Yew Chee, received 18 weeks’ jail over similar charges. 

Low has been described by prosecutors as an intermediary figure in 1MDB and served as a “mirror image” to Najib.

The former prime minister is on trial for four counts of power abuse to enrich himself with RM2.3 billion from 1MDB, and 21 counts of money-laundering involving the same amount.

In his witness statement, Amhari testified that he and Azlin had opened two BSI accounts in Singapore in 2012. The witness also said he believed the accounts were to be used for political funding purposes for the 2013 general election.

Amhari also testified that in early 2016, BSI Switzerland contacted him and informed him that he has over US$800,000 in the Singaporean account.

Najib faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment if convicted. 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. – September 18, 2019.