NAJIB TRIAL | A medical practitioner, who played a key role in moving RM42 million to the bank account of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, became involved in an 1MDB-linked company due to his background in charity work, the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard today.
Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd managing director Dr Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman, 58, said he had volunteered his expertise since his move into private practice in 1998.
Under cross-examination from lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Shamsul Anwar said he began by providing medical assistance, medical talks and performing circumcisions in the village where he was born.
Following this, Shamsul Anwar said he was involved with other outfits such as Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers (Bakti), Gabungan Wawasan Generasi Felda, Aman Malaysia and Mercy Malaysia, among others.
After teasing out Shamsul Anwar's long CV, Shafee suggested that the witness was handpicked by Najib as an executive director at 1MDB in 2011 to work on corporate social responsibility programmes.
"It was in 2010 when I was called by Najib. He asked me to help him do CSR jobs, meaning those programmes that I had mentioned – repair houses for poor people, send imam and village heads to hajj and so on," he said.
Shamsul Anwar said he had known Najib since the late 1980s when the latter was Umno Youth chief.
Shafee: Many politicians were involved in your CSR work. In Bakti, in Umno, and then you met Najib. Why are politicians important for your CSR?
Shamsul Anwar: Because I think most politicians do welfare work to help the people and not merely politicking all the time.
Shafee: You have networked with them to better perform your CSR, right?
Shamsul Anwar: Yes.
Shafee: You need a lot of funds?
Shamsul Anwar: Yes.
Shafee: Is it easy to raise funding (for CSR)?
Shamsul Anwar: It's not easy.
1MDB would eventually ask Shamsul Anwar to leave and set up his own company – Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd – to avoid a potential conflict of interest. 1MDB would then engage Ihsan Perdana for CSR work.
According to the witness, Ihsan Perdana was appointed the CSR partner of SRC International in a letter dated Sep 3, 2014, signed by its directors Suboh Md Yassin and Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil.
The court also heard that Shamsul Anwar had authorised the remittance of RM42 million to bank accounts belonging to Najib, without knowing who owned said accounts.
He testified that he would not have done so had he known.
Shamsul Anwar also said that he was arrested by the MACC in 2015 and remanded for four days, during which he was questioned repeatedly about the transactions involving Ihsan Perdana.
He added that the transfer of funds was kosher, in view of the fact that Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia was financing Ihsan Perdana.
Najib is on trial for allegedly abusing his power in receiving RM42 million in gratification for securing government guarantees for an RM4 billion loan from Retirement Fund Incorporated (KWAP) to SRC International.
SRC International was once a subsidiary of 1MDB. - Mkini
"The court also heard that Shamsul Anwar had authorised the remittance of RM42 million to bank accounts belonging to Najib, without knowing who owned said accounts.
ReplyDeleteHe testified that he would not have done so had he known." Oh! If only we can get away with ignorance.