1MDB scandal: Najib Razak offered projects to Beijing in exchange for help to resolve debt, says former aide at trial

Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin said he and Jho Low attended a meeting with a Chinese state-owned group to discuss projects that could help Najib resolve the 1MDB debt

The East Coast Rail Link, a gas pipeline and high-speed rail were among the state projects discussed at the meeting, Amhari told the High Court

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Najib Razak, Malaysia’s former prime minister. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 1:34pm, 4 Sep 2019Updated: 5:57pm, 17 Dec 2019

A witness in the trial of former Malaysian leader Najib Razak has testified that the ex-premier offered projects to Beijing in exchange for help resolving 1MDB’s debt.

Fugitive financier Jho Low represented Najib in the meeting with China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), which was attended by witness Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin, a former aide to Najib.

Low and Najib planned to use agreements with Chinese state-linked companies to bail out 1MDB’s debt, Amhari said on the fourth day of the trial at the High Court.

“The phrase ‘while simultaneously completely resolving 1MDB and SRC debts’ clearly meant that Najib intended to send the message that this cooperation would aid 1MDB and SRC International through the bailout of 1MDB’s debts,” Amhari said, referring to the talking points prepared for his meeting.

The testimony is the first confirmation from a former official in Malaysia’s previous government that there were talks with Chinese institutions for help in resolving the 1MDB scandal in exchange for state deals.

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