His counsel, Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin, said it was clear that Najib could not have devised the scheme for his benefit.
“The idea for the acquisition of Tanjong Energy IPP came three months before Najib greenlit it through the minutes of the representatives and shareholders’ special resolution.
“Former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi even mentioned this during his testimony in court, saying it was a good opportunity for 1MDB to venture into Malaysia’s energy sector and allow the sector to be managed by a government-owned company, namely 1MDB,” said Wan Azwan.
Wan Azwan was delivering his submission at the close of the prosecution’s case today before High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
Earlier, Najib arrived at the court in a wheelchair, following his recent hospitalisation for acute knee inflammation. He was seen walking slowly with the aid of a cane.
Sequerah granted the defence’s request for Najib to sit outside the accused’s dock to allow him to stretch his legs.
In his closing remarks on the second charge faced by Najib, Wan Azwan said the prosecution had failed to establish any evidence proving that Najib used his positions as prime minister, finance minister, and chairman of the 1MDB board of advisers to obtain over RM90 million in 1MDB funds for personal gain.
“Although the facts in the case differ in terms of timing and subject matter, the evidence provided by the prosecution consistently proves that Najib is not responsible for the alleged misconduct.
“There is no testimony from any witness in this case, including former 1MDB CEOs Shahrol and Hazem Abd Rahman, former 1MDB CFO Azmi Tahir and former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo, indicating that their actions were done to gratify Najib,” he said.
Najib, 71, faces four charges of abusing his position to obtain RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014.
He also faces 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount between March 22, 2013, and Aug 30, 2013, all of which were linked to transactions at AmIslamic Bank Bhd’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch.
The charges are filed under Section 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009 and Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act.
The hearing will resume tomorrow.