KUALA LUMPUR: There was no apparent ulterior motive for the key prosecution witnesses to testify against Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) financial scandal.
The individuals mentioned include former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former 1MDB lawyer Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, Najib's former aide Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazarudin, and former 1MDB chief executive Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi.
Presiding judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah noted that the defence argued the former prime minister was made a scapegoat in a larger 1MDB fraud orchestrated by these witnesses behind Najib's back.
"Amhari and Loo admitted to receiving funds from Low Taek Jho while Shahrol Aral received salary and bonuses.
"Zeti was alleged to have had an ulterior motive to serve as her family members were also implicated.
"Despite the allegations levelled against them, these witnesses were not accomplices and were candid about their acceptance of certain favours and gifts," he said in his judgment at the end of prosecution case today.
Sequerah said there was no legal presumption that an interested witness should not be believed.
"I find the testimonies of these witnesses in relation to the role of the accused with regard to the charges proffered were consistent.
"In the overall scheme of things, this court also finds that there ultimately would be no motive for these witnesses to testify and to frame up the accused who was at the time wielding enormous powers as prime minister and finance minister.
"It would be tantamount to suicide for these witnesses to deliberately give evidence against the accused given the latter's position at the time," he said, adding that these witnesses were not the ones on trial, notwithstanding the allegations against them.
Sequerah said, despite the accusations levelled, the credibility of these witnesses remained intact with regard to the main facts in the case.
"The finding of this court in respect of the rest of the prosecution witnesses is that their credibility is also intact and capable of belief," he added.
Najib, 71, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
For the 21 charges of money laundering, he is accused of committing the offences between March 22, 2013, and Aug 30, 2013.