Eric Tan instructed return of US$620mil from Najib’s account to Tanore, court told

On May 7, 2021, 1MDB and four of its subsidiaries filed a lawsuit against former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. During the court proceedings, Eric Tan, an associate of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, was instructed to return most of the US$681 million (RM2.79 billion) that had been transferred into Najib's account in 2013, according to offshore asset recovery specialist Angela Barkhouse.

Barkhouse testified that the US$620 million returned to Tanore Finance Corporation was allegedly connected to SRC International Sdn Bhd. However, Najib's legal counsel, Shafee Abdullah, questioned Barkhouse about the alleged reason for the return, claiming that the election was over and Najib needed only a fraction of the US$681 million.

Barkhouse responded that she was only aware that the funds were returned, not why. Shafee also pointed out that Barkhouse's evidence concerning Tan was hearsay, as Tan was not present to testify, to which Barkhouse maintained that her evidence was based on a document she had investigated. Najib's legal team argued that the US$620 million was returned because the election was over, and Najib was uncomfortable holding that much in his account, intending to return the funds to the sender who was part of the Arab donation.