1MDB critic questions authenticity of Jho Low’s affidavit
Former Umno leader Khairuddin Abu Hassan wants Low Taek Jho to be in court for cross-examination on his affidavit.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Umno leader Khairuddin Abu Hassan has questioned the authenticity of Low Taek Jho’s affidavit which was filed in connection with a lawsuit to seek the return of a 22-carat pink diamond allegedly in the hands of Rosmah Mansor.
Khairuddin filed an application to cross-examine the businessman, better known as Jho Low, on whether he was the one who appointed a local law firm to represent him in the pink diamond lawsuit.
“We want to ask him when Messr Ng Aik Guan was appointed to act for him in the suit.
“We do not know if there is a ‘shadow’ doing it behind him,” said Khairuddin’s lawyer, Gopal Sri Ram.
The senior lawyer, assisted by Syed Iskandar Syed Jaafar Al Mahdzar, said Low’s affidavit, affirmed on Oct 12, 2017, at the Malaysian consulate-general’s office in Hong Kong, was “suspicious”.
“In his affidavit, he did not state his current address and his IC number,” Gopal said, adding that if Low was not running away, then he should appear in court and provide answers.
He added: “If we did not file this application to cross-examine Jho Low, his lawyers would not have come out with this affidavit.”
Previously, Khairuddin had filed a bid to set aside a warrant that authorised Ng to represent Low.
The 1MDB critic had claimed that Ng’s appointment was suspicious.
Low’s lawyer Rishwant Singh said there was no need for Khairuddin to get a court order to cross-examine Low on the affidavit.
“The affidavit was made under oath and he (Low) did not deny anything.
“Besides that, the signature on his affidavit matches the one on Messr Ng Aik Guan’s appointment letter,” Rishwant said.
High Court judge Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim fixed Jan 26 for a decision on whether Khairuddin could question Low on his affidavit.
Khairuddin had filed the suit on Aug 15 last year, seeking a court order for the prime minister’s wife to return the US$27.3 million (RM115 million) diamond set in a necklace to sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
He had said that 1MDB had obtained US$6.5 billion by borrowing from overseas lenders, and that the company was the beneficial owner of the money.
Khairuddin claimed that Low committed theft or criminal breach of trust of the said loans and had no title in law or in equity over the money.
He said between June 2013 and March 2014, Low, acting through his agent, Tan Kim Loong, had purchased the jewellery from Loraine Schwartz in New York.
The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) had filed two civil forfeiture lawsuits against assets worth US$1.8 billion that it claimed were bought with funds stolen from 1MDB.
The suits comprised the largest legal action brought under the DoJ’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.
The first suit was filed on July 21 last year in which the term “MO1” (Malaysian Official 1) was mentioned 36 times.
On June 15, the DoJ, in its court filings, said nearly US$30 million was allegedly stolen from the sovereign wealth fund and used to buy jewellery.
Khairuddin disputes legal firm’s authority to act for Jho Low in diamond suit
Khairuddin sues Rosmah to return jewellery to 1MDB
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram