A former special officer to Datuk Seri Najib Razak said fugitive financier Low Taek Jho gave him US$200,000 as a bridging loan for a home purchase in Kota Damansara in 2010, the High Court heard today.
Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin revealed during cross-examination in Najib’s main 1MDB corruption trial today that he had approached several people for the funds but only Low or Jho Low had been willing to provide it to him.
Amhari told defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah that sum, which had been the equivalent of RM600,000 at the time, had been transferred directly into his Maybank account from Alsen Chance Holdings Limited that he said was owned by Low.
Shafee: In what context did you get the US$200,000 from Jho Low? Not in a political context, I hope?
Amhari: I had asked many people for a loan, and he (Low) volunteered to give me the loan.
Shafee: You tried to get the US$200,000 from Bank Negara Malaysia, correct?
Amhari: I couldn’t. I was not eligible.
Shafee: You asked Jho Low to lend the US$200,000 for what purpose?
Amhari: I got the loan to temporarily bridge another loan while I tried to sell my old house when I wanted to buy a new house. It was to sell off the house number 11 and buy house number 29.
The former aide then revealed that he still has not repaid the loan.
He then agreed with Shafee’s suggestion that Low was a good lender since he was not hounded for a repayment.
“I told him I can transfer the house to have it under his name, to transfer the ownership.
“But he told me, ’take your time, don’t worry’,” Amhari said referring to Low. – MMO