Ex-1MDB company secretary confirms Jho Low attended special board meeting in 2009

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 29): Fugitive financier Low Taek Jho (pictured), better known as Jho Low, attended a 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) special board meeting in 2009, although he was not a board member, the High Court was told on Wednesday. 

1MDB’s former company secretary Lim Poh Seng said that based on the minutes of meeting held on Sept 26, 2009 at the Royale Bintang Damansara Hotel, Low was among the attendees.

Testifying in the 1MDB audit tampering trial, Lim verified the minutes that recorded Jho Low’s attendance. 

However, upon questioning, Lim clarified that he was not present at the meeting and only verified Jho Low’s presence by referring to the minutes prepared by 1MDB’s then investment director Kelvin Tan Kay Jin.

Tan had testified in the trial earlier that Jho Low was present at the meeting, and confirmed that he prepared the minutes on the instruction of then 1MDB chief executive Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi.

Lim, in his testimony on Wednesday, said: “According to the minutes, those present at the meeting were Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh who chaired the meeting, Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, Tan Sri Lodin Wok Kamaruddin, Tan Sri Azlan Mohd Zainol, Datuk Ismee Ismail, Casey Tang and Low Taek Jho.”  

Asked if Jho Low had attended any other board meetings at the time, Lim replied that during his tenure as company secretary from 2009-2011, the financier did attend some meetings, but the witness was unable to be more specific.

On trial is former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is is charged with abusing his power to amend the 1MDB audit report before it was submitted to Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, to protect himself from disciplinary, civil and criminal actions.

Also on trial is the former CEO of 1MDB Arul Kanda Kandasamy, who is charged with abetting Najib.

If convicted, they face a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of at least five times the amount of gratification, or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

Lim is set to continue his testimony before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan on Thursday.

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