Najib’s 1MDB corruption trial: Investigating officer not fit to testify due to illness

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Investigating officer is MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki’s wife.

The wife of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki is the investigating officer in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s corruption trial for misappropriating 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds, the High Court heard today.

This was revealed by Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah when he confirmed to the court that Nur Aida Arifin was not fit to testify due to illness.

Earlier, Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib told the court that the 37-year-old witness has been given a two-day medical leave by the doctor and was unable to come to resume her testimony today.

Shafee then raised and told the presiding judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah that he had confirmed with Azam that the 49th prosecution witness was ill.

“By coincidence I had a matter with Azam relating to something else and was on the line with him.

“Azam said his wife has a fever and it is contagious,” he said.

Sequerah asked the prosecution to contact the doctor who issued Nur Aida’s medical chit to explain the discrepancy in the document.

Nur Aida in her witness statement said she was once placed in the Excellence and Professionalism Division and later transferred to the Investigation Division at the MACC’s headquarters on April 1, 2010.

“I was transferred to the Anti-Money Laundering Prevention Division from Aug 1, 2023, until now.

“I am also a Certified Financial Investigator certified by the National Co-Ordination Committee to Counter Money Laundering (NCC) in 2016.

“For the 1MDB investigation, the case began in August 2015, where the investigating officer was deputy commissioner Mohd Nasharudin Amir. At that time, I was the assistant investigating officer for this case.

“On May 14, 2018, I was appointed as the investigating officer for this case, replacing Nasharudin,” she said.

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

The hearing continues. – NST