KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) had, in July 2015, issued a notice under the anti-money laundering law to a commercial bank when the central bank, as part of a task force, was conducting investigations into money transactions, the High Court heard today.
Analyst Mohd Nizam Yahya, who is with BNM’s Financial Intelligence and Enforcement Department, said he went to Affin Bank Bhd’s headquarters in Jalan Raja Chulan on July 7 to issue a notice to get documents related to Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd.
“I went to the bank on the instruction of my superior (Abdul Rahman Abu Bakar) to issue the notice under Section 37 (1) of the anti-money laundering law,” said the third witness in former prime minister Najib Razak’s trial involving SRC International when examined by DPP Suhaimi Ibrahim.
Nizam said he handed over the notice to the bank’s head of advisory and company secretaryship Nimmah Safira Khalid as BNM wanted to get documents in relation to Ihsan Perdana.
“On that day, she gave me several documents, including the identity of the account holders and the company’s memorandum and articles of association,” he said.
Nizam said he also obtained details of three accounts opened in the bank.
He said he gave the copies of the documents to a representative of the task force – made up of BNM, police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Attorney-General’s Chamber – which was conducting a probe on several cases.
Nizam said he also provided similar documents to a MACC officer in June last year.
He was testifying in the trial of Najib who is facing seven charges. Najib, 66, is facing three counts of criminal breach of trust, one charge of abusing his position and three counts of money laundering involving SRC International Sdn Bhd funds amounting to RM42 million.
The Pekan MP was charged with committing the offences at AmIslamic Bank Berhad in Jalan Raja Chulan and the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya between Aug 17, 2011, and Feb 10, 2015.
Nizam was called as the prosecution intends to show the money trail from SRC that went to Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd and then to Ihsan Perdana before going into Najib’s accounts.
Cross-examined by Najib’s lawyer Harvinderjit Singh, the witness said he also gave a statement to MACC investigating officer Rosli Hussein in March this year.
He said based on what he had read in the media in 2015, the task force then had been investigating several cases
Harvinderjit then remarked: “It must be a memorable lifetime event because you gave notice against a serving prime minister then.”
Nizam said he also collected more documents in relation to Ihsan Perdana from Nimmah between July 7 and July 13, 2015.
Hearing before judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali continues.
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