Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
SHAH ALAM: Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says that the Government of Malaysia could have been cheated by Low Taek Jho or Jho Low, who is now wanted by the authorities in connection with the 1MDB scandal.
Najib admitted that he had a professional relationship with the controversial businessman for the purpose of developing the country’s economy.
“If that is the conclusion (that the government was cheated by Jho Low), if we take into account what we know today, then that’s the truth…” he said in an interview with Karangkraf Editorial Adviser Datuk Abd Jalil Ali, which was broadcasted live on Sinar Harian Facebook page, this morning.
Najib said this in reply to Abd Jalil’s question on whether the Malaysian government was cheated by Jho Low.
The former premier also said that action must be taken against Jho Low if he was found guilty of criminal breach of trust.
“If he (Jho Low) commits an offence and if he commits a criminal breach of trust, he is violating the law, so action must be taken,” Najib said.
Najib said he trusted Jho Low enough to have a professional relationship with him and that he was also confident with the businessman’s capability to bring in foreign investments to Malaysia, especially from the Middle Eastern countries.
“I looked at him from that point of view…if we could use his relationship with those countries, we will be able to enhance our diplomatic and economic cooperation. On how he lives his personal life, I don’t know. I found out about that much later.
“If they say he has a superyacht, a jet…or if he likes to party, I have nothing to do with that. In fact, I have no idea what he was doing,” Najib said.
The former prime minister also said the government had appointed lawyers, auditors and investment bank Goldman Sachs Group (Goldman), to monitor the national strategic investment company and protect Malaysia’s interests, but they had failed to play their roles.
Najib, who is former Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, also said that BN did not refute the possibility that 1MDB scandal was one of the reasons for the coalition’s defeat in the 14th general election on May 9.
On Sept 20, Najib pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of money laundering and four counts of abuse of power involving 1MDB fund of RM2.3 billion. – Bernama