Saya tak tahu sebab dakwaan dalam saman berubah, kata bekas CEO 1MDB

Former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi denied he made a deal with the company in exchange for testifying. Kuala Lumpur: At the High Court, Shahrol said he did not know why the corporation's lawsuits against him had changed in separate suits filed in August 2021. The 56-year-old said this statement was meant to testify as the fourth plaintiff in the USD5.64 billion lawsuit filed by 1MDB against eight defendants, including former Prime Minister Najib Razak, on May 2021.

During cross-examination, Ganesan, counsel for former 1MDB investment manager Kelvin Tan, referred to Shahrol in relation to accusations made by 1MDB against Deutsche Bank and others in August 2021. Ganesan cited several clauses in 1MDB's lawsuit complaint alleging breach of duty, fraud, and corporate misconduct, asking Shahrol why 1MDB had accused him in one lawsuit and called him as a witness in this proceeding.

Shahrol said the question should have been asked to the relevant company. Acknowledging he was asked to testify in court, Shahrol said his role was to convey the truth and not point fingers at anyone. He also denied agreeing that he had made a deal with 1MDB in exchange for testifying. Ganesan questioned if Shahrol had a credibility as a witness for 1MDB since 1MDB itself had accused him of all the breaches.

Shahrol: I have no comment. Ganesan: So, you made a deal to point fingers at my apprentice, Kelvin Tan and Najib? Shahrol: I am here to speak the truth, not to blame anyone. 1MDB and its subsidiaries, 1MDB Energy Holdings Limited, 1MDB Energy Limited, 1MDB Energy (Langat) Limited and Global Diversified Investment Company Limited (formerly known as 1MDB Global Investments Limited), filed the lawsuit on May 7, 2021.

They named Najib, former 1MDB financial chief Terrence Geh Choh Heng, former executive director Casey Tang Keng Chee, former legal counsel Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, Vincent Beng, former financial manager Radhi Mohamad, Kelvin Tan, and former investment manager Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil as defendants. Last week, 1MDB agreed to drop the civil lawsuit against Radhi without the option to file it again.

Earlier, 1MDB also dismissed Jasmine from the lawsuit. The lawsuit complaint accused defendants of breach of trust, statutory breach, misuse of authority, and conspiracy to defraud 1MDB's funds. The trial before Judge Mohamad Redzuan Idrus continued on Wednesday.