Datuk Seri Najib Razak arrives at the Kuala Lumpur High Court April 7, 2022. — Picture by Firdaus Latif
KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Low Taek Jho (popularly known as Jho Low) were photographed together with Najib’s family and others on a yacht, former 1MDB director Tan Sri Ismee Ismail said today.
Ismee was testifying in the High Court as the 13th prosecution witness in Najib’s trial over the misappropriation of more than RM2 billion of 1MDB funds.
Lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram today presented a photograph – while mentioning that it was a “yacht” photograph – to Ismee, asking him to identify the individuals in the photograph.
Sri Ram: From the left, can you identify anyone?
Ismee: From the left is Jho Low, and then I believe next to Jho Low is Prince Turki, the next is Datuk Seri Najib, next to Datuk Seri Najib is Datin Seri Rosmah, next is Datuk Seri Najib’s son, and the next one to him I believe is Tarek Obaid, and the next, most right would be Datuk Seri Najib’s daughter.
Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor is Najib’s wife, while Prince Turki is believed to be referring to a prince from Saudi Arabia, and Tarek Obaid is Saudi firm PetroSaudi International Limited’s director.
Sri Ram today also noted that Najib’s lead defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had previously suggested that Ismee had made an assumption that Low was close to Najib and that assumption was unsupported by evidence, and that Ismee had agreed at that time.
Ismee, however, explained today that his view of Low and Najib being close was from observation: “It was through observation, my observation.”
Sri Ram then asked Ismee what he had observed throughout his years of serving as a director in 1MDB’s board from 2009 to 2016.
Sri Ram: Throughout that period, what did you gather to be the relationship between Jho Low and the accused Datuk Seri Najib?
Ismee: I believe close relationship.
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