Najib never doubted money was donation by Saudi royals, says lawyer

 

The Court of Appeal was told that Jho Low had arranged a meeting between Najib Razak and the Saudi king in 2010.

PUTRAJAYA: Najib Razak always believed that the money in his Ambank accounts was remainder from donations from the Saudi royal family, the Court of Appeal heard in the former prime minister’s RM42 million SRC International Sdn Bhd (SRC) corruption appeal hearing today.

Defence lawyer Harvinderjit Singh said some RM164 million was transferred to his new accounts after an old account that was used to receive donations was closed in August 2013.

“He believed the money was a contribution from the Saudi king,” he said in his submission that Najib had no dishonest intention to cause any loss to SRC.

Harvinderjit, however, said trial judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali came to a wrong conclusion in finding Najib guilty as fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, had been putting money from SRC into his new accounts.

He said the prosecution only showed at the close of its case that Low was meddling in Najib’s accounts.

At this juncture, Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, who is chairing the Court of Appeal bench, asked why Low was dealing with Najib’s accounts when he did not have the authority.

Harvinderjit said Low had, through a non-diplomatic channel, arranged for a meeting between the Saudi king and Najib in 2010.

He said the monarch then expressed his support that Najib remained in power so that Malaysia did not fall into the hands of extremists.

“The king had said he would support Najib though he did not say it would come in the form of a donation,” he said, adding that several months later, it was Low who said the king would give a donation.

“Hence, the Saudis had been making donations since 2011,” he said.

Harvinderjit said Najib opened current and saving accounts in AmBank as he was expecting up to US$200 million in donations from Saudi Arabia.

He said Najib had met Cheah Tek Kuang, then the group managing director of Ambank, in 2011 and asked him to follow all banking procedures.

The lawyer said Cheah later met Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz about the matter, and Zeti said the central bank had no objections against AmBank doing so.

He said AmBank’s Raja Chulan branch manager, R Uma Devi, had testified that based on bank records, millions in US dollars were remitted into Najib’s accounts between 2011 and 2013.

It was revealed that RM304 million was deposited into an account in 2011, RM756 million in 2012 and RM1.9 billion in 2013.

Harvinderjit said Najib had, on Aug 23, 2014, returned RM2.034 billion (US$620 million) and the balance of RM164 million was transferred into his new account.

Last July, Nazlan sentenced Najib to 12 years’ jail and ordered him to pay a RM210 million fine after finding him guilty on seven corruption charges in relation to RM42 million belonging to SRC.

Najib was accused of abusing his power as prime minister by giving government guarantees on SRC’s RM4 billion loan from the Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP).

He also also slapped with three criminal breach of trust (CBT) and three money laundering charges in relation to RM42 million belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former unit of 1MDB.

The hearing continues. - FMT