Myanmar Govt May Be Protecting Jho Low Najib S Lawyer

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The Myanmar junta may be protecting fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), said ex-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s counsel.
Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said this was due to the answers he got after cross-examining prosecution witness Jasmine Loo during the RM2.27 billion 1MDB abuse of power and money laundering case against Najib.
“Initially it was said (speculated) that he (Low) may have been in China, Dubai, or Macau.
“But from the testimony I grilled from Loo, I think he (Low) is in Myanmar and protected by (junta) generals.
“He was able to get a passport for Jasmine to enter Myanmar without the Malaysian passport being stamped,” Shafee (above) said, adding that Loo expressed her belief that Low arranged her entry into the war-torn Southeast Asian nation.
The lawyer was speaking at an event this evening called “Media Townhall: Getting the Facts Right: The Untold Stories - 1MDB and Other Cases” at Sime Darby Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
Former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine LooShafee was responding to a question from the audience on why Malaysian authorities found it difficult to bring back Low as part of the investigation into the 1MDB scandal.
The lawyer was referring to Loo’s testimony in April that she got in trouble with the Myanmar military junta when the former 1MDB general counsel tried to enter the country with an unstamped passport in 2019.
Loo was among the 50 prosecution witnesses who testified against Najib in the course of the 1MDB criminal trial that began on Aug 28, 2019.
She used to be part of Low’s inner circle, whom prosecutors contended acted on behalf of Najib in 1MDB.
The accused’s defence team contended he had no knowledge of wrongdoing at the sovereign wealth fund and that embezzlement there was solely masterminded by Low and members of its management.
‘Report fairly’
During the event, Shafee urged the media to report fairly on Najib’s various criminal court cases.
“The media is the fourth estate. If you fail to do the job to report fairly, justice will fail and it will fall on your children and grandchildren, you left the system with no checks and balances,” the lawyer said.
On Oct 30, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered Najib to enter his defence over four abuse of power and 21 money laundering charges involving RM2.27 billion of funds from 1MDB.
The defence stage of the trial, where Najib is among 11 witnesses expected to take the witness stand, is scheduled to begin on Dec 2.
Also present at today’s event as panellists were former Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Azizan Harun and lawyer Adzly Abdul Manas.
Kamarudin Ahmad moderated the forum. - Mkini

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