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 involved in RM105m transfer from SRC International to Putra Perdana Construction
- Jho Low used term 'Eagle 27' for RM27m transferred into Najib's account
- RM10m transferred to account to prevent existing cheques from bouncing
- Jho Low 'calling the shots' in RM10m transfer to Najib account - Yu
- 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'
Jho Low involved in RM105m transfer from SRC International to Putra Perdana Construction
4.40pm - Wanted businessperson Jho Low queried former AmBank relationship manager Joanna Yu on Bank Negara approval, prior to the transfer of RM105 million from SRC International to Putra Perdana Construction (PPC) on July 14, 2014.
The 54th witness Yu agrees with lawyer Harvinderjit Singh on the message queries by Jho Low to her prior to the transfer.
Harvinderjit: RM105 million (transferred) on July 14 (2014). But on July 9, Jho Low messaged you on whether this needed Bank Negara approval (among others). That line of inquiry, before the RM105 million was transferred from SRC to PPC, you received queries from Jho Low intending to take RM105 million from SRC and convert into US dollars and send out?
Yu: Yes.
She also agrees that based on chat logs, Jho Low had also asked her whether splitting the money into two portions would avoid the need to report to Bank Negara.
Jho Low used term 'Eagle 27' for RM27m transferred into Najib's account
3.57pm - Former AmBank relationship manager Joanna Yu agrees that fugitive financier Jho Low used the term "Eagle 27" to refer to a transfer of RM27 million from SRC International and finally to Najib Abdul Razak's AmBank current account ending with the number 880.
She agrees to this following a question by defence lawyer Harvinderjit Singh in regard to an RM27 million transfer from Permai Binaraya to Najib's 880 account on July 8, 2014.
Harvinderjit was referring to a chat log of her messages with Jho Low on that date regarding the transfer.
Harvinderjit: Eagle 27, (stands) for RM27 million transferred from Permai Binaraya to the 880 account?
Yu: Yes.
Harvinderjit: The RM27 million was from Permai Binaraya's Maybank account to the 880 account, and that originated from Putra Perdana Construction, which itself originated from the RM35 million that Terence Geh took out of SRC on July 8, 2014?
Yu: Yes.
RM10m transferred to account to prevent existing cheques from bouncing
3.30pm - Former AmBank relationship manager Joanna Yu agrees that Jho Low arranged an RM10 million transfer from Ihsan Perdana to Najib's AmBank account to prevent previously issued cheques from bouncing.
The 54th witness agrees with lawyer Harvinderjit Singh that the movement of funds was not to ensure future cheques would not bounce.
Harvinderjit: The money was to regularise (Najib’s account ending with the number 880) for cheques already issued, including the (RM3.5 million) cheque to (law firm) Hafarizam (Wan & Aisha Mubarak)?
Yu: That and several others that came after.
Harvinderjit: The money was not to clear future cheques but cheques already issued?
Yu: Yes.
The court previously heard that several cheques were made out from Najib's current account, among them a cheque of RM3.5 million to the law firm issued on Jan 21, 2015.
Jho Low 'calling the shots' in RM10m transfer to Najib account - Yu
3.05pm - Wanted fugitive Jho Low was "calling the shots" in the transfer of RM10 million from SRC International's subsidiary Gandingan Mentari to Ihsan Perdana, in order to go into Najib's AmBank account ending with the number 880 in Feb 2015.
Former AmBank relationship manager Joanna Yu agrees with lawyer Harvinderjit Singh that Jho Low and others such as Terence Geh and Ung Su Ling made the arrangement.
Harvinderjit: What we can reflect, Jho Low was calling the shots, with Ung Su Ling working in tandem. They arrange RM10 million out of Gandingan Mentari and put in Ihsan Perdana, to transfer to the 880 account?
Yu: Yes.
Ung is former Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia CEO while Geh is former 1MDB executive finance director.
1MDB owned SRC International at one point.
Yu was then also AmBank’s relationship manager for 1MDB-related accounts.
Proceedings resume
2.40pm - Proceedings resume after lunch break.
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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