Najib denies asking ‘The Edge’ owner Tong to leave his house after 1MDB alert, just Malay ‘adab’ of walking him to door
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak today denied in court that he had asked financial publication The Edge’s owner Tan Sri Tong Kooi Ong to leave his house in March 2015, after the former banker tried to share his concerns about the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Najib today told the High Court in his own 1MDB trial: “No, contrary to the prosecution’s claim, I did not ask Tan Sri Tong to leave.”
According to Najib, Tong had himself noted upon his 10.30pm arrival at Najib’s Langgak Duta house that the then prime minister looked tired.
“Our discussion continued until approximately 11.30pm or 11.45pm, after which he left on his own accord,” Najib said regarding Tong’s visit to share the latter’s 1MDB concerns.
Previously during the 1MDB trial, Tong had said after he had told Najib that Low Taek Jho — better known as Jho Low — should be held accountable and prosecuted over the misappropriation of US$700 million from 1MDB through funds sent to Good Star Limited.
Tong had said that Najib then did not speak a word but stood up and walked to the door, and that Najib opened the door for him to leave and that he then also stood up to leave the house.
Today, Najib’s lawyer Wan Azwan Aiman Wan Wan Fakhruddin asked him to respond to the allegation that he had shown Tong the door during the visit, with Najib then appeared to indicate that this was his good manners.
“Yang Arif, I’d like to clarify that it is my behaviour, or as we say in using the Malay language, ‘adab’. ‘Adab’ is actually deeper than one’s manners. It’s rooted in sort of a cultural way of doing things.
“In fact, um, I can say categorically, I can categorically state that even when people from my constituency, ‘kampung people’, enter my house I would accompany them to the door when they are leaving.
“It is my way of doing things, my ‘adab’, I think Malays, and Malaysians generally would understand this point,” he said.
“I walked him to the door, it’s what I normally do for everyone,” he added.
Previously, Tong during the 1MDB trial confirmed that Najib had not verbally asked him to leave, but also denied that Najib’s actions of showing him the door was a polite gesture.
Najib’s 1MDB trial before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah resumes tomorrow morning.
