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Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah said the four Arab donation letters that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak relied on his defence were "forgeries"
In delivering the verdict today, 26 December, in the high-profile 1MDB case involving RM2.3 billion deposited into Najib's bank account, Sequerah said said the letters were never produced in their original form before the court, reported the New Straits Times.
The judge said Najib attempted to legitimise his claim that the funds he received were donations, adding no verification was ever conducted to confirm the source of the funds.
"The accused anchored his belief on a wider circle of the royal family.
"The manner it was transmitted was entirely up to King Abdullah… this does not further the cause of the defence," he said.
Vehicles transporting Najib arrived at the Palace of Justice this morning, 26 December.
Image via Hari Anggara/New Straits TimesThe judge said that by tracing the funds, it showed that they were channelled through third-party private companies, including Vista Equity, Blackstone and Tanore, all of which were entities owned by fugitive financier Eric Tan
Sequerah said he found it unusual that no written acknowledgement was sent to the Arab monarch's family to express gratitude for the alleged donation.
"The donation narrative was also not declared in the cabinet minutes.
"He acted in wilful blindness, and hence the funds are considered highly questionable," he said.
The judge said Najib had the resources to verify the legitimacy of the funds, but did not do so.
Thus, he ruled that the Arab donation claim was not meritorious and that the funds were in fact derived from 1MDB.
Najib was taken back to Kajang prison to perform Friday prayers, and will return to the Palace of Justice for Sequerah to finish delivering his verdict on 25 charges related to 1MDB.
