Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak told the High Court that it would have been “totally insane” for him to seek evidence that could undermine his defence in the RM2.3 billion 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds misappropriation case. He referred to letters sent by his lawyers to judges in the US District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York on March 14, 2021, highlighting the relevance of a filing by former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng Chong Hwa, which purportedly contained evidence that could substantiate his defence.
Najib claimed that former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner, during his testimony in Roger Ng’s trial, disclosed evidence favourable to his defence, revealing key details on their alleged roles in the 1MDB scandal. Najib sought to obtain testimony and documents relevant to his defence, requesting Leissner to provide evidence of communications involving himself, fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), and other individuals implicated in the scandal.
Najib argued that it would have been far more logical for him to suppress the evidence rather than disclose it if he had been involved in the scheme. He stated that he wanted the evidence to be presented in court because he felt totally vindicated and confident that he would be exonerated if the evidence was tabled.
On April 8, 2022, Ng was found guilty by a US court for conspiring to embezzle hundreds of millions of dollars from 1MDB and was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison in New York. On October 30, Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah ordered Najib to enter his defence on all 25 charges, ruling that the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case against him.
