Lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram said the prosecution does not plan to call Tan Sri Nazir Razak to testify as a witness even after the latter claimed to hold certain information related to the case in his newly released book titled ‘What’s in the Name’. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — Former banker Tan Sri Nazir Razak will not be called to testify as a prosecution witness in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial.
Nazir is the younger brother to former prime minister Najib who is accused of multiple counts of corruption and criminal wrongdoing in the state-owned investigation company.
Lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram said the prosecution does not plan to call Nazir to testify as a witness even after the latter claimed to hold certain information related to the case in his newly released book titled What’s in the Name.
“Our case is what we said in the opening statement of the trial — that Najib acted in concert with fugitive [businessman] Low Taek Jho (Jho Low). Jho Low was his alter ego. In truth, Jho Low was the accused’s mirror image.
“That is the prosecution’s case (and we have no intention of calling Nazir),” Sri Ram told The Edge Markets after Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s appeal case in the Court of Appeal earlier today.
Sri Ram is a retired judge back in private practice and appointed by the government to lead the prosecution team in the 1MDB trial.
The trial resumed today in the High Court before Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
In his book, Nazir purported that he was with The Edge owner Tan Sri Tong Kooi Ong in London and met former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who was told about the missing millions of dollar from 1MDB.
Nazir claimed that Dr Mahathir had asked him why he approached the latter to do something as he was already retired, to which Nazir replied, “Well, sir, you have to do something because you made him the PM”.