The criminal trial of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak involving the alleged misappropriation of funds from SRC International Sdn Bhd enters its 47th day today at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysiakini brings you live reports of the proceedings.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Jho Low scrambled to transfer funds when told about overdrawn account
- Defence to file application to strike out bid for Najib to apologise
- Yu turned down Jho Low's offer to join SRC International
- Witness: Jho Low referred to as the 'fatty one'
- Jho Low may have control over SRC International banking instructions
- Lawyer says witness ‘acting ignorant, evasive'
Court breaks for lunch
1.08pm - Proceedings break for lunch, and will resume at 2.30pm.
Jho Low scrambled to transfer funds when told about overdrawn account
12.30pm - Joanna Yu agrees that 1MDB-linked businessperson Low Taek Jho (photo) was among those who scrambled to arrange for funds to be transferred into Najib Abdul Razak's bank account whenever she told them it was overdrawn.
The former AmBank customer relationship manager says this to lawyer Harvinderjit Singh this during cross-examination.
Harvinderjit: You told them, then Low and his cohorts scramble. The starting point is you telling Low that the account was overdrawn.
Yu: Yes.
Harvinderjit is referring to chat logs of her conversation with Low on Feb 5, 2015, on an attempt to transfer money into Najib's AmBank account ending 880 as it was overdrawn.
These chat logs purportedly show Low's involvement in getting RM5 million transferred from SRC International to Gandingan Mentari, then to Ihsan Perdana before ending up in the 880 account.
Trial will start at 2pm on Monday
11.31am - Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali allows an application from the prosecution to start proceedings at 2pm rather than 9am on Monday.
On that day, the Court of Appeal will hear the prosecution's appeal against Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah's insistence on proceeding with Najib's RM2.28 billion 1MDB trial on Aug 19.
Sequerah had declined to postpone the 1MDB trial, despite the high probability that the present case will not be completed by that date.
Defence to file application to strike out bid for Najib to apologise
11.30am - Lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah says an application will be filed on Monday to strike out the prosecution's bid to compel Najib Abdul Razak to apologise over two Facebook posts deemed sub judice.
Yu turned down Jho Low's offer to join SRC International
10.23am - Former AmBank customer relationship manager Joanna Yu testifies that she and her team refused an offer from Low Taek Jho to work at SRC International.
She tells lawyer Harvinderjit Singh (photo) this when he refers to a chat log between her and the fugitive businessperson dated Nov 24, 2013.
According to the log, Low asked whether Yu knew any good CFOs for SRC International.
At one point, Low asks "Can I hire Daniel Lee too?"
Harvinderjit asks Yu what this meant.
Yu: I think he wanted to hire all of us (Yu, her team member Lee among others), and we said no.
Harvinderjit: That is a very lucrative, RM60,000 (salary).
Yu: We did not want to work with them.
Witness: Jho Low referred to as the 'fatty one'
10.14am - Wanted businessperson Low Taek Jho was referred to as the "fatty one" by 1MDB executive finance director Terence Geh.
Former AmBank customer relationship manager Joanna Yu testifies that Geh referred to Low as such during a conversation with Geh on Nov 7, 2013.
Jho Low may have control over SRC International banking instructions
10.05am - The court hears from former AmBank customer relationship manager Joanna Yu that 1MDB-linked businessperson Low Taek Jho may have control over SRC International's banking transactions.
In her testimony under cross-examination by the defence, Yu agrees to a suggestion that former SRC International director Terence Geh was a subordinate to Low.
Lawyer says witness ‘acting ignorant, evasive'
9.34am - "She is not explaining, acting ignorant, evasive," says defence lawyer Harvinderjit Singh during his cross-examination of former AmBank customer relationship manager Joanna Yu.
Harvinderjit's line of questioning on Yu over AmBank documents seized by MACC had elicited objection from deputy public prosecutor V Sithambaram (photo).
"Let her finish, she is trying to explain," Sithambaram says.
Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali then requests that the witness be allowed to answer.
Najib enters the dock
9.13am - Najib enters the dock as proceedings begin.
8.59am - Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak enters the court and takes a seat at the front row of the public gallery.
Also seen in court awaiting the beginning of proceedings are Attorney-General Tommy Thomas and DPPs, as well as Najib's defence counsel Harvinderjit Singh and other defence lawyers.
Today will mark the sixth day that former AmBank customer relationship manager Joanna Yu will take the stand to be cross-examined by Najib Abdul Razak’s defence team.
As the former prime minister’s RM42 million SRC International trial before Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali enters its 47th day, the 54th witness is set to face further questioning over her dealings with fugitive financier Low Taek Jho.
Since the defence began questioning Yu on July 23, their strategy appears to be an attempt to unravel the role purportedly played by wanted businessperson Low in directing Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil – former SRC International CEO and mandate holder for Najib’s accounts – to transfer millions of ringgit in and out of the accused’s accounts.
Like Low, the whereabouts of 48-year-old Nik Faisal is unknown. According to the police, Nik Faisal is “in hiding” somewhere in Southeast Asia.
Defence counsel Harvinderjit Singh's line of questioning had at times also focused on trying to uncover whether Yu herself was merely taking orders from Low in arranging the massive monetary flows in and out of Najib's three AmBank current accounts, which are central to the former premier's seven charges involving abuse of power, corruption, and money laundering.
- Mkini
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