KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today was told that fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho (pix) or Jho Low had dropped out of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which is the world’s oldest collegiate business school.
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said this when he queried former AmBank relationship manager Joanna Yu Ging Ping at Najib’s trial involving the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds.
Muhammad Shafee: Were you aware of Jho Low’s qualification?
Yu: Yes, something about Wharton.
Muhammad Shafee: I recently discovered that he dropped out of Wharton. In fact, he never graduated from Wharton. Were you aware of it?
Yu: Oh! I didn’t know that.
Muhammad Shafee: But he convinced you that he graduated from Wharton? To which, the witness replied, “yes.”
Muhammad Shafee: You would agree with me in general Jho Low would try to sell himself as a good businessman for the bank to do business with?
Yu: I believe so.
The 41st prosecution witness also said she had heard Jho Low mention the governor of Bank Negara Malaysia; Prime Minister of Malaysia; a royalty from Saudi Arabia, Prince Turki Al-Saud; and PetroSaudi International Ltd (PSI) chief executive officer Tarek Obaid.
“He would say he was going to meet somebody from Kuwait. I would just let it pass as it didn’t matter to me,“ said the 51-year-old witness.
The lawyer then moved on to Najib’s accounts, questioning Yu about any efforts made by the bank to contact Najib directly for any authorisation or clarification regarding his accounts and who was tasked to handle his accounts.
The witness said that she had never directly contacted Najib because she did not have direct access to him.
Najib, 69, is facing four charges of using his position to get bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering.
The trial before Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow.-Bernama