Witness: Najib didn’t ask to lodge MACC report on RM42m transfer

NAJIB TRIAL | Najib Abdul Razak did not ask his associate to lodge a report despite being told that the person had unwittingly transferred RM42 million to the former premier's bank accounts.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today heard from Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd managing director Dr Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman (above) that Najib appeared "genuinely" shocked when informed RM42 million was debited into the latter's personal accounts.

However, during reexamination by the deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi, the witness stated that despite appearing upset at the news, the former premier did not direct Shamsul to lodge a report with authorities.

Shamsul, the 37th witness, is continuing his testimony at Najib’s graft hearing concerning RM42 million linked to a former 1MDB subsidiary, SRC International Sdn Bhd.

Saifuddin: Earlier, you answered my learned friend’s question that after you were remanded (and later released), you met with Najib and you said he was shocked and upset when he found out the money was transferred (into his personal account).

Shamsul: Yes.

Saifuddin: Did he (Najib) ask you to lodge a report with the police or MACC?

Shamsul: No.

The reexamination took place after the witness had been cross-examined by lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah (above).

Shamsul had testified yesterday that he had signed an RM42 million cheque for private accounts (with the numbers ending 906 and 880) which he did not know at the time belonged to Najib.

He was remanded by authorities for four days in July 2015 over the case. He stated yesterday that during his remand, he was questioned by MACC officers over his alleged abetment of offences related to Ihsan Perdana's money transfers.

Met with Najib

In today’s proceedings, Shamsul insisted that he was under the impression that the money was going towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) work and only later discovered from media reports that the accounts the money was transferred to belonged to Najib. 

Shafee: MACC (officers) repeatedly suggested you committed serious offences?

Shamsul: Yes, they suggested I was abetting (in the transfer of the money).

Shafee: […] and the suggestion was that you had knowledge that this money that was transferred to the private accounts and was not meant to be for the CSR?

Shamsul: Yes, that was at the beginning, they suggested it.

Shafee: Were you worried?

Shamsul: I denied [sic] that I didn't know who was the receiver (of the money). I told them, you want the truth or do you want me to tell lies? So I told them the truth, that the money was for CSR.

Shamsul was formerly a director in charge of 1MDB's CSR work. He was later instructed to form another company, which eventually became Ihsan Perdana, to be SRC International’s CSR arm.

He claimed he was under the impression that his company received funding from 1MDB and Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M), and not SRC. Najib was also the chairperson of YR1M.

Shamsul testified today that upon his release from remand, he sought out Najib with whom he had direct contact with at the time. Najib, he said, appeared “shocked” and “upset” when informed of the transfer into his personal account.

Shafee: When you went to see Najib to tell the story. What was Najib’s (reaction)?

Shamsul: He was shocked about somebody putting money in his accounts. He didn’t even know.

Shafee: He didn’t even know what?

Shamsul: He didn’t even know why (the money was transferred) through me.

The witness added that he apologised to Najib that the former’s company, Ihsan Perdana, was used as a transit to transfer the money.

Shafee: When you met Najib and he said he was upset, can I ask you, from your meeting, because you were there (and) from the way he was interacting with you, was his reaction genuine, that he was in the dark (about the transfer), and he was upset?

Shamsul: It was genuine.

Najib is under trial for seven charges pertaining to RM42 million of SRC International funds.

The former prime minister and finance minister is accused of abuse of power in receiving the sum in gratification for securing a government guarantee for RM4 billion in loans from the Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP) for SRC International.

He is also facing three criminal breach of trust charges and three money laundering charges. - Mkini