PUTRAJAYA: Former 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) chairman told the High Court that he had a professional and formal relationship with Datuk Seri Najib Razak, whom he had known for more than four decades.
Despite their long history, Tan Sri Che Lodin Wok Kamaruddin said that he did not have easy access to the former prime minister and he had to make an appointment if he required a meeting with Najib.
The prosecution had zeroed in the nature of Che Lodin’s relationship with Najib during cross-examination by Deputy Public Prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar in the RM2.28bil 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial here on Thursday, due to an arbitrary part in Che Lodin’s witness statement where he stated that he was not Najib’s proxy in 1MDB.
DPP Kamal Baharin: In your 211-page witness statement, you didn’t mention anything about your relationship with Najib. But suddenly you mentioned that you were not Najib’s proxy. Isn’t that odd?
Che Lodin: I have a professional relationship with him. To say, I’m close to Najib, no.. I’ve known Najib for 40, 50 years. The relationship is on a formal basis. He was my minister of defence when I was in Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT).
The witness was a CEO at LTAT for 36 years before stepping down in Sept 2018.
According to Che Lodin, a proxy to him means that a person asks another to take care of their interest, which was not the case with his position in 1MDB.
On his involvement with 1MDB, Che Lodin said he found out about his appointment as a member of the board of directors at the Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA) verbally from former TIA CEO Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi on Aug 11, 2009.
TIA was later federalised and became 1MDB.
“Shahrol did inform me that my appointment as a director of TIA was on Datuk Seri Najib’s advice.
“I did not verify with Datuk Seri (Najib). I relied on what Shahrol informed me,” he added.
On Oct 30, last year, Najib was ordered by the High Court to enter his defence on four counts of using his position to obtain RM2.28bil gratification from 1MDB’s funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount.
The hearing continues before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah this afternoon.
1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), High Court, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Tan Sri Che Lodin Wok Kamaruddin, Deputy Public Prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar
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