1MDB investigator says he did not check if US$620m returned by Najib was rerouted
In the ongoing 1MDB civil suit, investigator Richard Templeman admitted he did not verify if US$620 million returned by former PM Najib Razak was subsequently rerouted back to him. The defense argued this omission is a significant gap in the fraud investigation.
Why it matters
The 1MDB scandal remains a major legal and political issue in Malaysia, and the integrity of the financial investigation is central to the trial's outcome.
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 — The High Court yesterday heard that financial fraud investigator Richard Templeman did not trace whether 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s (1MDB) USD620 million returned by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to the Tanore Finance Corporation (Tanore) account was subsequently routed back to the former prime minister.
United Kingdom-based investigator Templeman said this when cross-examined by Najib’s counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah at the trial of 1MDB’s US$5.64 billion civil suit against Najib and six others.
Muhammad Shafee: Did you trace whether the US$620 million somehow got rerouted and came back to Najib? Templeman answered “no”.
Muhammad Shafee then suggested that such an investigation was critical, given Templeman’s role as a fraud expert, but the first plaintiff witness said he had only reviewed the relevant bank statements and had no knowledge of whether the funds had later found their way back to Najib.
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