1MDB investigator says he did not check if US$620m returned by Najib

Photo courtesy of Malay Mail

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.

Key details

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.

The lawyer further put it to Templeman that there was no evidence to show the US$620 million, after Najib returned it to the Tanore account, had subsequently been channelled back to him. Templeman agreed with the proposition, answering, “Yes.”

Why it matters in Malaysia

When asked whether he had any evidence that the US$620 million was later routed back to Najib, Templeman replied that he did not.

The trial before Judicial Commissioner Mohamad Redzuan Idrus continues tomorrow.

1MDB and its subsidiaries - 1MDB Energy Holdings Limited, 1MDB Energy Limited, 1MDB Energy (Langat) Limited and Global Diversified Investment Company Limited, formerly known as 1MDB Global Investments Limited, filed the civil suit on May 7, 2021.

They named Najib; 1MDB’s former finance director Terrence Geh Choh Heng; former executive director Casey Tang Keng Chee; former chief investment officer Vincent Beng Huat Koh; former chief operating officer Radhi Mohamad; former investment director Kelvin Tan Kay Jim; and former chief investment officer Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, as defendants.

The writ of summons stated that the plaintiffs, among other things, accused the defendants of breach of trust, breach of statutory duty, abuse of power and conspiracy to misappropriate 1MDB funds.

On Dec 26, 2025, the High Court sentenced Najib, 73, to 15 years’ imprisonment and fined him RM11.4 billion after finding him guilty on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds. — Bernama

5 August 2026