KUALA LUMPUR: Fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho had instructed for former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak not to "speak too much" in a meeting with 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) appointed audit firm KPMG in 2013, the High Court here heard.

       Former 1MDB chief financial officer (CFO) Azmi Tahir said in his witness statement that the instruction came through an email he received from Low - better known as Jho Low - dated Dec 15, 2013.

       He said in the statement that the email was titled "Urgent: Briefing Package For YAB PM" and added that it contained key points to be discussed with KPMG as well as a strategy to field questions from the firm over the company's investments.

       For the strategy to meet with KPMG, Low said that the meeting must be attended by the board of directors chairman, the CEO and the CFO from 1MDB's management together with Najib.

       Low also arranged for the meeting to be attended only by Datuk Johan Idris and Ahmad Nasri Abdul Wahab from KPMG.

       "Jho Low instructed for Najib not to speak too much with KPMG and it must be said that Najib had been briefed, that he knows about all the investments and transactions in 1MDB, and (that he is) confident with the existing documents," Azmi said during the RM2.28bil 1MDB trial involving Najib here on Tuesday (Nov 16).

       The witness told the court that he had gone to Najib's house on Dec 15, 2013 for the meeting with KPMG and found that Najib had already received Low's email.

       "The matters Low had stated in the email had been discussed by Najib and Johan from KPMG," he said.

       According to Azmi, Johan asked Najib about the investments at the Segregated Portfolio Company (SPC) and Najib said that he knew about Brazen Sky Ltd's investments at SPC.

       Brazen Sky is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) established to repatriate investment monies from Petrosaudi Oil Services Ltd (PSOSL) in Venezuela.

       "In this meeting, Najib asked why KPMG kept raising suspicions on the underlying assets of the investment when BSI Bank already showed the statements for that investment,” said Azmi.

       "With that, Najib also told KPMG to close the 1MDB account before Dec 31, 2013," he added.

       Azmi said although he was the CFO in 1MDB and that audits should fall under his purview, it was Low who arranged all the documentations and talking points to Najib for him to answer questions from KPMG.

       After the meeting, Azmi said KPMG still did not close off on 1MDB's financial report year 2013 as it was dissatisfied with the documents and the answers given by 1MDB.

       "Not long after, KPMG was replaced with Deloitte. As far as I know, the matter was brought up during a management meeting and the decision taken was to replace KPMG with Deloitte," he added.

       Najib, 68, is facing four charges of abusing his position to obtain gratification totalling RM2.28bil in 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same money.

       The hearing continues before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.