Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi revealed how fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho @ Jho Low had constantly impressed on him the importance of"keeping the Arabs happy" whenever he was asked to rush things at 1MDB.
Shahrol acknowledged that he never bothered to inform the 1MDB board of directors of the debt before the joint venture agreement was inked. He said almost immediately after that 1MDB signed the JVA, even though he knew that PSI had entered into a loan agreement with its Cayman-based holding company to the tune of US$700 million.
He said that he never asked for further details as"I was led to believe this is a government to government transaction involving trustworthy partners."For the lack of a better phrase, it was to keep our partners happy, This whole thing was based on friendship and political considerations," he said.