Najib Bakke Should Ve Met Me Not Send Sms On Alleged Wrongdoing

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1MDB TRIAL | Najib Abdul Razak has contended that 1MDB chairperson Mohd Bakke Salleh should not have just sent a short messaging service (SMS) to him over alleged wrongdoing at the troubled sovereign wealth fund.
The former premier told the High Court in Putrajaya today that Bakke (above) should have instead met him to explain any alleged issues in 2009.
Najib was refuting Bakke's testimony that the prosecution witness received no reply from the accused over the SMS, during re-examination by lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
"In the case of Bakke, the point he was trying to make was a very serious point… you do not send an SMS when it comes to serious matters; he should have come to see me.
"As you know, I always treated him (Bakke) well. Even though he resigned (from 1MDB in late 2009), I gave him a post in Felda (CEO of Felda Global Ventures Berhad or FGV) and he got a ‘Tan Sri’ (title) from the Agong which I recommended.
"He had access to me, why not come and brief me if he was so concerned about what was happening in 1MDB," Najib testified, adding that Bakke ultimately did not try to meet him.
Shafee then asked whether Bakke ever wrote to Najib to thank him for the Tan Sri title, the accused replied the gratitude was expressed verbally rather than through a letter.
Ex-PM Najib Abdul RazakBakke testified in court in 2021 that Najib did not reply to the SMS over the diversion of US$700 million of 1MDB funds to offshore entity Good Star Limited in 2009.
Bakke told the court that he later resigned as 1MDB chairperson in 2009.
‘Confusing, perplexing’
During trial today, Najib also testified being perplexed over the way that the criminal charges against him were drafted.
The former premier claimed that one of the four abuse of power charges against him was confusingly worded in terms of date, time and place.
"I find it perplexing, rather bizarre, and very confusing as there are multiple different dates, different times and places, four different acts in one charge when there should be four different charges.
"I think it is not fair. I have to prepare a defence according to the charge, but when it is like this, it is difficult. I wanted a fair trial, this is not being fair.
"I am confused, my lawyers are confused," Najib claimed as Shafee looked on.
Najib was referring to the abuse of power charge involving RM60.6 million.
The accused claimed the charge is confusing because, while the charge mentioned he allegedly committed the offence between Feb 24, 2011, and June 14, 2011, at AmBank Jalan Raja Chulan branch in Kuala Lumpur, the charge attached four additional alleged events that the accused was purportedly involved in.
One of these alleged four sub-events was a cabinet meeting on April 1, 2009, where Najib was alleged to have obtained cabinet approval for a government guarantee for Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA, the former name of 1MDB) to obtain loans up to RM5 billion via the Islamic Medium Term Notes.
Another alleged sub-event is on Sept 26, 2009, during a 1MDB board meeting at Royale Bintang Damansara in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, where he was alleged to have caused the passing of a resolution for the fund to take part in a US$1 billion joint venture with Petrosaudi International Limited.
Answerable case
On Oct 30, the criminal court ordered Najib to enter his defence over four abuse of power and 21 money laundering charges involving RM2.27 billion of funds from troubled sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah ruled that the prosecution succeeded in establishing a prima facie (answerable) case against Najib over the Minister of Finance Incorporated’s (MOF Inc) wholly owned company.
The judge ruled that Najib had to answer the charges due to the strength of the various 50 witness testimonies during the prosecution stage of proceedings that lasted six years since the trial began in 2019. The accused was first charged in 2018.
Since the prima facie ruling, Najib has been testifying in his defence against the 1MDB criminal charges.
The former Pekan MP has been taking the witness stand to defend himself since Dec 2 last year, spending 22 days giving oral evidence.
He was cross-examined by the prosecution for 10 days, with prosecutors having wrapped up their grilling yesterday afternoon.
Today, Najib began his re-examination by Shafee.
Throughout the criminal trial, Najib maintained he had no knowledge or involvement in wrongdoing at 1MDB, and that all embezzlement there was solely masterminded by fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) and its management.
Low was also linked to Good Star. - Mkini

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