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

Former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi denied having made a deal with the corporation in exchange for testifying. At the High Court, he stated he did not understand why the company's lawsuits against him changed in separate filings filed in August 2021. Shahrol, 56, said this to testify as the fourth plaintiff in the $5.64 billion lawsuit filed by 1MDB against eight defendants, including former Prime Minister Najib Razak, on May 2021.

During cross-examination, Ganesan, representing former 1MDB investment director Kelvin Tan Kay Jin, referred to Shahrol regarding the allegations made against him in the company's lawsuit against Deutsche Bank and others in August 2021. Ganesan cited several provisions in 1MDB's lawsuit alleging that he breached duties and responsibility as corporate wrongdoing.

When asked why 1MDB made the lawsuit against him in separate filings and called him as a witness in this proceeding, Shahrol said the question should be asked to the relevant corporation. Shahrol, who admitted he was asked to testify in court, said his role was to convey the truth and not point fingers at anyone. The witness also disagreed with the suggestion that he had made a deal with 1MDB in exchange for testifying.

Ganesan: Given that 1MDB itself has accused you of committing all of these breaches, you have no credibility as a witness for 1MDB, right? Shahrol: I have no comment. Ganesan: So, you made a deal to point fingers at my son, Kelvin Tan and Najib? Shahrol: I am here to speak the truth, not to blame anyone. In May 2021, 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 against eight defendants, including former 1MDB financial director Najib Razak, former financial director Terrence Geh Choh Heng, former executive counsel Casey Tang Keng Chee, former legal advisor Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, Vincent Beng, former chief financial officer Radhi Mohamad, Kelvin Tan, and former chief investment officer 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 dropped the name of Jasmine from the lawsuit. The lawsuit between 1MDB and the defendants, including Shahrol, is ongoing before the Attorney General Mohamad Redzuan Idrus.