KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 — Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz, the stepson of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was so close to fugitive financier Low Taek Jho or Jho Low they would take family holidays together, said former 1MDB general counsel Jasmine Loo.
Testifying in 1MDB’s civil suit against Riza and his companies, Loo said this was also how she had first been acquainted with Riza.
“I first met him (Riza) on a ski trip with Low and his family in Whistler, Canada at the end of December 2012 or January 2013,” she was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.
“Subsequently, after I left 1MDB, I met and became acquainted with him (Riza) on other occasions when I travelled overseas with Low.”
When defence lawyer Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Fakhruddin challenged Loo’s standing to conclude Riza was “good friends” with Low, she said she deduced this from observing their interactions.
The lawyer then seized on her use of the Canada vacation to support her conclusion, saying Loo would similarly be considered good friends with Low.
“I am not denying that,” Loo reportedly said in reply.
On May 7, 2021, 1MDB and three subsidiaries sued Riza and his two companies, Red Granite Pictures Incorporated (RGP) and Red Granite Capital (RGC) Limited, for allegedly receiving around US$248 million in funds that they misused for their personal gain, including financing a film and purchasing various properties.
The plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that he is responsible for the misappropriated funds and demand repayment.
In their ongoing claim, 1MDB said a sum of US$10 million was routed to Riza Aziz’s RGP from Jho Low-owned Good Star Ltd through various intermediate steps; whereas a sum of US$238 million was transferred in three separate transactions to an account belonging to Riza Aziz’s RGC.
