Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi is pictured at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex June 30, 2020. — Picture by Hari Anggara
Shahrol Azral, who was testifying as the prosecution’s ninth witness against Najib in the latter’s trial over 1MDB funds, also said he did not know if the former prime minister had also been “hoodwinked” over 1MDB transactions. Shafee highlighted that the US Department of Justice had said such restructuring made it easier to obscure the value of 1MDB’s investment in its purported joint venture with PSI.
When asked by Shafee if he agreed that the scheme was “beyond the knowledge” of Najib as the then prime minister or finance minister as the 1MDB board itself did not know of it, Shahrol Azral said he could not comment on this while further explaining that the board had only been aware that this was part of the process to repatriate 1MDB funds.