KUALA LUMPUR: Fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low gave US$9 million to production company Red Granite Pictures (RGP) to fund the blockbuster Hollywood film The Wolf of Wall Street, the High Court was told.
According to a document tendered in court, Jho Low through one of his companies Good Star, had given the cash advance to RGP which belonged to Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s stepson Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz.
The California-based company was brought up during an examination-in-chief conducted by lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial today.
However, former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi who was the ninth prosecution witness said he was unaware about it (document).
Sri Ram: The document stated that the beneficial owner of Good Star is Low. Did you know about this?
Shahrol: I did not know.
Sri Ram: In 1MDB expose, did you come across a company named Red Granite?
Shahrol: Yes. I read about it.
Sri Ram: What did you read about?
Shahrol: It produced The Wolf of Wall Street. They allegedly used money siphoned from 1MDB.
Sri Ram then tendered another document dated 2011.
Sri Ram: According to this document, Red Granite received money from Good Star through RBS Coutts. Did you know about this?
Shahrol: No.
Sri Ram: It’s confirmed that US$9 million went from Good Star to Red Granite. Did you know about this?
Shahrol: I never saw this document.
Shahrol also revealed that he received a cheque from Low back in September 2010.
Sri Ram: What did you do with the cheque?
Shahrol: Low instructed me to hold on to the cheque and not do anything. So at the end of my career as CEO, I passed it to the Finance Department for safekeeping.
Sri Ram: You never cashed the cheque?
Shahrol: No. No further instruction.
However, Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah objected to the question, stating it was only hearsay.
“This statement is allegedly a verbal instruction by Low,” he said.
Trial continues Monday before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
Najib, 66, is facing four charges of having used his position to obtain gratification totalling RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same money.