Brian Chia said 1MDB had engaged Wong & Partners on Sept 16, 2009, to finalise the US$1 billion joint venture agreement.

A draft agreement was prepared by a London law firm.

“All management of the funds, including dealings with the relevant banks and Bank Negara Malaysia, was undertaken by Shahrol (Azral Ibrahim Halmi) and Casey Tang,” Chia told the High Court.

Shahrol was 1MDB’s CEO at the time, while Tang was its executive director.

Chia said he was only notified that a sum of US$300 million was deposited into 1MDB-PSI joint venture’s account and that the remaining US$700 million was remitted into an account nominated by PetroSaudi International.

He also confirmed that he wrote a memorandum highlighting the legal risk of entering into the joint venture.

“I gave my advice and they decided to pursue this joint venture on the basis that it was a government-to-government investment,” Chia said.

The former lawyer said Shahrol was insisting that the joint venture agreement must be finalised and readied for signing by 1MDB and PetroSaudi on Sept 28, 2009.

“It was not for me to question (that decision). I had given my advice and warned them of the risk,” he said.

Asked by deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib whether he knew that Shahrol was taking instructions from someone “higher up”, Chia said he was unaware.

He told the court he knew Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), as his former firm had done legal work for the fugitive businessman in the past. However, he said he was unaware if Low was responsible for bringing Shahrol to work in 1MDB.

Najib is standing trial on 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering of RM2.28 billion in 1MDB funds deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

The hearing continues before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah on April 23.