The criminal trial of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak involving the alleged misappropriation of funds from SRC International Sdn Bhd enters its 39th day today at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysiakini brings you live reports of the proceedings.
Summary of Najib’s SRC RM42 million case
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Former AmBank MD identifies Jho Low via two photos
- Jho Low ushered me into Najib's house in 2011, says ex-AmBank MD
- Najib didn't lodge police report against me over the RM42m transfer into his account: Witness
- I toss away my old phones when I get new ones, says witness
- I deleted Najib's ex-aide phone messages as there was nothing wrong: Witness
- Judge reprimands Najib for not returning on time
- Court resumes following short adjournment due to stand down
- Court stand down as Najib not in accused dock after lunch break
- Shafee to resume cross-examination in afternoon
- Witness denies receiving instruction from Jho Low to transfer RM42m
- Defence counsel in heated argument with witness, DPP
- Najib said RM42m transfer into account damaging to reputation: Witness
- YR1M had separate accounts for halal, non-halal fundings
- Ex-YR1M CEO joined Jho Low's company in 2004
- Najib arrives in court
Former AmBank MD identifies Jho Low via two photos
4.02pm - Former AmBank managing director Cheah Tek Kuang identifies wanted businessperson Jho Low via two photos.
The 49th witness, without hesitancy made the identification as he holds the pictures while in the witness stand.
Real name Low Taek Jho, the missing Jho Low is being sought by the authorities to assist in the on-going 1MDB probe.
Jho Low ushered me into Najib's house in 2011, says ex-AmBank MD
3.45pm - The court hears from Cheah Tek Kuang, a former AmBank group managing director, that he went to Najib Abdul Razak's private residence sometime in middle 2011 when the then prime minister wanted to open a bank account with AmBank.
There, Cheah adds, he was greeted by businessperson Low Taek Jho, or better known as Jho Low, who then ushered him to meet Najib inside.
Jho Low then introduced Cheah to Najib, before Cheah started briefing the politician about the rules and regulations to open a bank account with the bank, and gave him blank forms and credit card.
The whole meeting with Najib took about 20 minutes, he says.
3.25pm - The prosecution's 49th witness, former AmBank managing director Cheah Tek Kuang, takes the stand.
3.20pm - Former CEO of Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) Ung Su Ling finishes her testimony and is released as a witness.
Before excusing herself from the witness stand, she tells the court that she apologises if she had been in any way rude when giving her testimony.
The court then goes into a short break as the prosecution says their next witness, a 72-year-old man, had to go to the gents.
Najib didn't lodge police report against me over the RM42m transfer into his account: Witness
3.10pm - Former Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) CEO Ung Su Ling says she does not think that Najib Abdul Razak ever lodged a police report against her for wrongly directing Ihsan Perdana's managing director Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman to transfer RM42 million to the then prime minister's accounts.
She says this during re-examination by DPP V Sithambaram.
Earlier, she testified that Najib's then aide Azlin Alias ordered her to instruct Shamsul to transfer the money between Dec 2014 and Feb 2015.
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I toss away my old phones when I get new ones, says witness
3.00pm - The court hears from former CEO of Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) Ung Su Ling that she would toss her old handphones every time she got a new one.
This includes the phone she had used to communicate with Azlin Alias, now deceased, who was then aide to Najib Abdul Razak in 2014 and 2015.
Under cross-examination by lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Ung testifies that she tossed the phone after Azlin's death in April 2015 as she was sad with his passing.
She, however, disagrees with a suggestion by Shafee that she told the court that she had gotten rid of the phone as a story, as the late Azlin cannot speak in his defence.
I deleted Najib's ex-aide phone messages as there was nothing wrong: Witness
2.55pm - "I did not think there was anything wrong."
This is former Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia CEO Ung Su Ling's reply to questioning from Najib Abdul Razak's lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah on why she deleted messages between herself and the then prime minister's private secretary Azlin Alias.
Shafee is asking her why she did not preserve her message conversation with Azlin between late 2014 and early 2015.
Earlier, Ung testified that she received directives from Azlin through messages for her to instruct Ihsan Perdana's managing director Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman to transfer a total RM42 million from Ihsan Perdana's account to Najib's two bank accounts in that same period.
Azlin passed away on April 4, 2015.
Judge reprimands Najib for not returning on time
2.41pm - Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali (photo, below)takes former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak to task over the latter's tardiness on being in time for afternoon proceedings.
The accused's lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah offers an apology, saying that there was an unexpected visitor which made Najib lose track of time.
In a calm but firm voice, the judge reminds Najib to abide the time proceedings begin as tardiness leads to delay of trial which is not fair to others.
"Accused must conform (with timely attendance).
"Further tardiness would delay proceedings and would not be fair to others (in court)," Nazlan tells Najib, who sits quietly in the dock.
Shafee then resumes cross-examination of former Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia CEO Ung Su Ling.
Court resumes following short adjournment due to stand down
2.40pm - The proceeding resumes.
2.39pm - Accused Najib Abdul Razak enters the court, following a brief adjournment caused by his absence.
He is seen entering the dock quickly to await proceedings to resume.
Court stand down as Najib not in accused dock after lunch break
2.33pm - The proceeding resumes after lunch break at 2.30pm, but had to go on a short stand down again shortly after.
This was due to the absence of former premier Najib Abdul Razak in the accused dock.
After the court waited for several minutes for Najib to return from break, his lawyer Harvinderjit Singh requested if the court can go on a short stand down as he goes to check on his client.
Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali allows the request.
2.29pm - Proceedings resume
Shafee to resume cross-examination in afternoon
12.51pm - Najib Abdul Razak's lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah will resume cross-examination of former Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) CEO Ung Su Ling in today's afternoon session.
This is relayed by the former prime minister's lawyer Harvinderjit Singh to Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.
Harvinderjit says he is nearing the end of his own cross-examination of the 48th witness.
Nazlan then allows proceedings to be adjourned for lunch earlier and to resume at 2.20pm.
Witness denies receiving instruction from Jho Low to transfer RM42m
11.50am - Former Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) CEO Ung Su Ling (photo, below)denies the defence's assertion that she sought instruction from wanted fugitive Jho Low over the RM42 million transferred from Ihsan Perdana to Najib's two AmBank accounts.
“No, I was trying to get instruction from Azlin (Alias, the then private secretary to former premier Najib Abdul Razak)," she tells lawyer Harvinderjit Singh.
Najib's defence counsel was asking her whether the reference to the word 'friend' in a chat log of a conversation between her and then Ambank Relationship Manager Joanna Yu in Feb 2015, referred to Jho Low.
The chat log was in relation to the transfer of RM10 million from Ihsan Perdana to Najib's 880 account.
She had earlier also refuted Harvinderjit's assertion that a chat log between her and Yu over the transfer of RM27 million and RM5 million from Ihsan Perdana to Najib's 880 and 906 AmBank accounts in Dec 2014, was in reference to Jho Low, whom she was alleged to be seeking instructions from.
Defence counsel in heated argument with witness, DPP
10.40am - A heated argument ensues between DPP V Sithambaram, defence counsel Harvinderjit Singh and witness Ung Su Ling when the latter is being cross-examined by Harvinderjit.
This occurs as Harvinderjit was questioning the former CEO of Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) over what transpired in 2014 when she ordered Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB) to transfer a total of RM32 million into Najib Abdul Razak's two AmBank accounts.
Harvinderjit appears to be upset with Ung when she keeps trying to further explain her answers to his questions, instead of stating whether she agrees or disagrees with the lawyer.
Telling the witness to just answer 'yes' or 'no' to his questions, Harvinderjit then tells off the witness for purportedly looking at the prosecution team when answering his questions instead of looking at the judge.
This prompted Sithambaram to rise from his seat and raise his stern objection, questioning the defence lawyer if he was insinuating that the prosecution was coaching Ung.
"What are you insinuating? We are not into coaching witness," Sithambaram says.
"Don’t push it," he adds later.
Najib said RM42m transfer into account damaging to reputation: Witness
10.10am - Then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak allegedly said the RM42 million transferred into his bank account was damaging to his reputation, testified former Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) CEO Ung Su Ling.
The 48th witness tells lawyer Harvinderjit Singh that Najib told her this when they met somewhere in 2015, following a Wall Street Journal report on the alleged transfer.
"What he (Najib) said was that it was very damaging to him, his reputation and career and that he did not know where the money was transferred from to his account. I do not remember if he said or did not say the money was from IPSB (Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd)," she says.
When Harvinderjit asks if Najib expressed shock, she says Najib was very annoyed.
She adds that she apologised to him and offered to resign from her position as YR1M CEO.
YR1M had separate accounts for halal, non-halal fundings
9.45am - Former CEO of Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia Ung Su Ling tells the court that YR1M had separate bank accounts for different funders.
She says this was a precaution as some project recipients might be sensitive when it comes to receiving projects with funds derived from gaming proceeds.
"So, as a precaution, we separated (the funds)," she testifies.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Harvinderjit Singh, Ung said she had met Najib, who was one of the YR1M trustees, about five times on official matters concerning the foundation and its projects.
Ex-YR1M CEO joined Jho Low's company in 2004
9.30am - The hearing begins with the continuation of cross-examination on former Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) CEO, Ung Su Ling.
Picking up from where lead defence lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah left yesterday, defence counsel Harvinderjit Singh starts his line of questioning with matters pertaining to Ung's witness statement preparation.
The counsel then scrutinises the 48th prosecution witness' background, including her experience working in Wynton Group, a company owned by fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho, (photo, above) or better known as Jho Low.
Ung testifies that she first knew Jho Low while he was still studying at Wharton University in Pennsylvania, sometime in 2000 or 2001.
She tells the court Jho Low then had wanted to come back to Malaysia and start a company, similar to a start-up he had done in the United States.
According to Ung, she joined Wynton Group in 2004 together with three others, including her former boss at Marican and Partners asset management company.
Ung continued to work with Wynton until 2006, when she joined CIMB Bank.
Najib arrives in court
9.19am - Najib enters dock as proceedings begin.
9.04am - Accused Najib Abdul Razak enters the court and takes a seat in the front row of the public gallery to await the beginning of proceedings.
Also seen in court are Attorney-General Tommy Thomas and DPPs, as well as the former prime minister's counsel Harvinderjit Singh and other members of the defence team.
Najib Abdul Razak's defence team is set to turn up the heat today in its cross-examination of former Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) chief executive officer Ung Su Ling.
The former prime minister's lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah hinted as much yesterday when he informed the court that the defence's line of questioning will enter areas of "controversy".
As proceedings before Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali enters its 39th day this morning, the defence is expected to grill 48th witness Ung over her testimony.
During examination-in-chief yesterday, she said that the RM42 million that flowed from 1MDB's corporate social responsibility (CSR) partner Ihsan Perdana to Najib's two AmBank accounts between December 2014 and February 2015 did not originate from YR1M.
She also testified that Najib's then private secretary, the late Azlin Alias, ordered her to direct Ihsan Perdana's CEO Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman to make the transfer; that she was informed the transfer was made for CSR purposes; and that she was at that time unaware that the two bank accounts belonged to Najib, among others.
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