1MDB was established to funnel money to companies linked to Umno, testified the sovereign wealth fund’s former CEO.
Tenth prosecution witness Mohd Hazem Abdul Rahman confirmed this during the 1MDB corruption trial of former premier Najib Abdul Razak today.
The witness claimed that funds from 1MDB were used to help contractors linked to the political party in the 1MDB-linked Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) mega project.
Hazem was answering a question by the accused’s lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah during cross-examination.
Shafee had questioned Hazem over a portion of the latter’s witness statement where he (Hazem) claimed that 1MDB-linked businessperson Jho Low told him that the sovereign wealth fund was set up to help Umno…
At one point during the proceedings, Hazem also told the court that Najib was his “ultimate boss”.
This was similar to what was testified by former Retirement Fund Incorporated (KWAP) CEO Azian Mohd Noh in a separate corruption trial of the former premier.
On June 10, 2019, during Najib’s RM42 million SRC International corruption trial, prosecution witness Azian testified that the accused, when he was the prime minister, was the “ultimate boss” in regard to his influence over the fund.
This is the truth and everyone knows it. Except convicted ex-PM Najib, who ordered the entire operation and oversaw it from the moment of its inception till the money flowed into his personal accounts.
Najib will blame this underling, like all the other underlings he blamed for gulling him and cheating him into receiving billions that he poured into his political and personal campaigns.
He will accuse those who have called him out, including Sarawak Report, of being ‘paid’ or ‘politically motivated’ or ‘outsiders’.
How about just plain outraged by a crime that holds massive consequences for millions of law abiding, innocent people who put their trust in their leaders?