Jho Low didn’t cook pasta at our house and not a close family friend, Zeti tells Najib’s 1MDB trial

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — Former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz today denied that fugitive broker Low Taek Jho was a close friend of her family, rubbishing such claims as "ludicrous".

Zeti, who was testifying as the 46th prosecution witness in former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's trial over RM2.28 billion of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds, also dismissed the claim that Low had habitually visited her house as governor then in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur to "cook pasta".

Najib's lead defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah kept suggesting today that she and her husband had close ties with Low, better known as Jho Low.

Shafee: Is it not correct, because we will bring evidence on this and by then, hopefully, we will have arrested Jho Low, we can get direct evidence. Jho Low was in the habit, because he was a close friend of your husband and became a close friend of the family, Jho Low was in the habit of coming on weekends to your house where he would actually cook pasta for the family.

Zeti: That is ludicrous and preposterous, it never happened.

Earlier, Shafee asked if Zeti knows Low, to which she indicated that she only knows of his existence but does not have ties with him: "I know of him, I have no association with him at all."

Shafee claimed that Zeti had previously spoken with then prime minister Najib about gifts from Low, but she dismissed this allegation.

Shafee: Tan Sri, you remember an occasion you met the prime minister and one of the subjects you discussed with the prime minister and this matter came out from your mouth unsolicited. And you said Jho Low was very fond of giving you expensive presents and you said 'I've accepted them but I've returned them since'. You remember saying this to the prime minister?

Zeti: I have never received any gifts from anyone including Jho Low.

Asked by Shafee if she had said such remarks to then-PM Najib, Zeti said: "I don't recall any discussions relating to gifts."

When asked if she recalled any discussions relating to Low with then-PM Najib, Zeti replied: "I don't recall discussing Jho Low."

Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was seen at the court compound for the 1MDB case here at Kuala Lumpur High Court, August 15, 2023. ― Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

She agreed with Shafee's suggestion that her residence as BNM governor then in Bukit Tunku was not very far from Najib's private house at Jalan Langgak Duta.

Later, Shafee said there were times when Low had meetings with others at then-PM Najib's personal house at Jalan Langgak Duta, but Zeti said she was not aware of this.

Shafee suggested that Low had used the reason of having to meet Zeti to leave these meetings: "I'm putting it to you every time when that meeting happened, he had to excuse himself, clearly, because he said I have to go and see Zeti, are you aware of this? Because the prime minister told you this."

But Zeti replied: "I'm not aware of this."

Zeti also disagreed with Shafee's claim that Najib had purportedly told her about this at a meeting.

Shafee claimed that Low was close to Zeti's family through her husband Datuk Tawfiq Ayman and that Low and her husband were "business partners", but Zeti replied: "Not true."

Zeti confirmed that she and her husband shared a common alma mater in the US, as she was a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania while her husband was a graduate of the Wharton School of Business which is part of the university.

Shafee suggested that Low had used the claim of being an alumnus in the same business school to get close to her husband, but Zeti said: "That is not correct."

Asked by Shafee, Zeti confirmed she has not read of and does not know that Low had in the past claimed he was a Wharton graduate, also saying she was unaware that Low had only attended but never graduated from Wharton.

Najib's 1MDB trial before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah resumes this afternoon, with Shafee expected to continue cross-examining Zeti.