KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Najib Razak could be acquitted in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case if fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, were brought back to Malaysia to testify, his lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has claimed.
“If you bring Jho Low here, and Jho Low has to testify and things like that, I think Najib will be acquitted. Because we could confront Jho Low with many things,” he said.
Shafee made the remarks during a recent episode of Trick Lama, hosted by Big Boom Media Group executive director Datuk Ahirudin Attan, better known as Rocky Bru, chief executive officer Datuk Zainul Arifin Mohammed Isa and editor-in-chief Terence Fernandez.
He questioned why Najib was being pursued over the scandal when, he argued, numerous other individuals had also been involved in 1MDB’s affairs.
Najib was prime minister and finance minister when the scandal unfolded. Shafee argued that it was unreasonable to suggest the former premier had personally managed the company’s operations in detail.
He also challenged the prosecution’s contention that 1MDB was run from the top down, saying such an arrangement would raise questions about the responsibilities of the board of directors and management.
“Where is there a company that is run from the top down like that? That means the shareholder gives directions to the board of directors, and the board gives directions to the management, and they follow them. I’ve never heard of that. The board of directors should all be guilty if that was the case,” he said.
“You can’t run a company like that. You see, Najib appointed members of the board of directors. They are not ordinary people.”
Shafee pointed to the backgrounds of individuals who had chaired 1MDB, arguing that their roles and responsibilities should also be considered when examining the fund’s management.
“The chairman at one time was the current chairman of Petronas. He is not an ordinary person. And he was straight. A straight and honest person. And the subsequent chairman was also a very straight and honest person,” he said.
Shafee questions action against other 1MDB figures
The lawyer also questioned why other individuals associated with 1MDB had seemingly escaped similar legal consequences, citing testimony involving Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh and findings he attributed to the former auditor-general.
“He has been proven in court to have not told the truth. He has been called a criminal by other witnesses, including Bakke Salleh. The former Auditor-General of Malaysia, in the course of the investigation, said that this guy should be charged because he was a criminal.
“He committed offences in 1MDB. Nothing happened to these people,” he said.
Shafee further questioned the government’s efforts to secure Jho Low’s return to Malaysia and raised concerns over the treatment of former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo Ai Swan.
“Now, why isn’t the government taking action to bring Jho Low here? Why are they protecting people like—what’s her name?—Jasmine Loo?” he said.
“She’s been found guilty outside, right? She’s been found guilty everywhere. She took money from Jho Low, about 150 million or so. She’s not been charged. She’s walking around.”
Loo has testified as a prosecution witness in Najib’s 1MDB trial. Shafee’s assertions about her alleged guilt and the authorities’ handling of her case are his claims and should not be construed as established judicial findings.
Jho Low, meanwhile, remains a fugitive accused of playing a central role in the multibillion-ringgit scandal.
Najib’s separate convictions and legal battles
Najib continues to face legal proceedings linked to 1MDB and other financial matters despite receiving a conditional pardon affecting his sentence in the SRC International case.
He is serving a six-year prison sentence for misappropriating RM42 million belonging to SRC International, a former 1MDB subsidiary. The sentence is scheduled to end on Aug 23, 2028, subject to the terms of the pardon and any applicable legal developments.
The pardon arrangement does not affect his separate 1MDB conviction.
On Dec 26, 2025, Najib was convicted on 25 charges involving the abuse of his position to obtain approximately RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds and money laundering. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined RM11.4 billion.
He has appealed against the conviction and sentence.
On Oct 14, 2026, the High Court dismissed his application to stay the execution of the 15-year sentence pending the outcome of his appeal. The defence indicated that it would seek a stay from the Court of Appeal.
Najib also faces civil claims involving SRC International and 1MDB. In a separate civil suit in March 2026, the High Court found him liable for losses suffered by SRC International and ordered him to pay approximately US$1.3 billion.
Meanwhile, 1MDB has filed a civil suit seeking approximately US$5.64 billion from Najib and six other individuals.
The Inland Revenue Board is also seeking RM1.69 billion in unpaid taxes from the former prime minister. In September 2026, the Court of Appeal granted a stay of bankruptcy proceedings arising from the tax claim pending the disposal of appeals concerning the tax assessments.
Najib has also been discharged and acquitted in other proceedings, including the 1MDB audit-tampering case and charges involving RM27 million linked to SRC International. These outcomes are separate from his convictions in the SRC International and 1MDB cases.
Shafee challenges treatment of evidence
Shafee also criticised the handling of evidence in the 1MDB trial, particularly statements attributed to Jho Low, who remains outside Malaysia.
Referring to the judgment delivered by Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, he questioned the admission of such statements under the Evidence Act 1950.
“Right now, if you look at Justice Sequerah’s judgment, Jho Low’s statement, from someone who is not here, has been admitted without care about the issue of the Evidence Act. Everything must be locked, stocked and barrelled,” he said.
Shafee further claimed that Sequerah had questioned the legal basis for excluding double hearsay evidence.
“And, in fact, Justice Sequerah even said, ‘Where is the law that stops me from taking double hearsay?’ Can you imagine? Hearsay cannot. They can take double hearsay,” he said.
Najib has consistently denied wrongdoing in the 1MDB scandal, maintaining that he was misled about the origins of funds channelled into his accounts.
Shafee’s remarks reflect the defence’s position that the roles of other individuals linked to 1MDB should be examined alongside the evidence against Najib. — October 18, 2026