NAJIB TRIAL | Former second finance minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah's unflattering remarks regarding his experience under his former boss Najib Abdul Razak's administration took the latter's legal team by surprise.
Lead defence lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said Husni was behaving "like an angry man" and requested for an adjournment to seek instructions from his client.
Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Nazlan Mohd Ghazali agreed to grant an adjournment for Shafee to consult his client.
The trial was supposed to continue at 2.30pm tomorrow but due to Shafee's request, it would only resume on Thursday after the defence studies Husni's testimony.
Taking the stand as the 56th witness in Najib's SRC International Sdn Bhd graft trial, Husni said even though his signature was contained in documents relating to SRC's RM4 billion loan from the Retirement Fund Incorporated (KWAP), he was essentially reduced to the role of an "office boy."
"It means I'm like an office boy. Nothing is discussed with me," he said when examined by deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Izzat Fauzan.
Husni was asked about documents related to SRC International, a former 1MDB subsidiary which is now owned by the Finance Minister Incorporated (MOF Inc)
Specifically, Husni said a memo of 1MDB proposing that SRC is transferred to MOF Inc had never reached him even though it was supposed to be sent to him before being passed to Najib, who was also the finance minister at the time in 2012.
On another document laying out the terms of an RM2 billion loan from KWAP to SRC, Husni acknowledged he had endorsed it but blamed it on Najib's "autocratic" leadership.
"Najib's leadership is autocratic when it involves SRC. My job was only to follow orders," he said.
SRC CEO never turns up when summoned
Unlike other Finance Ministry-linked companies, Husni said SRC's chief executive officer Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil (below) would not turn up when summoned nor could he get documents related to the firm.
"When the CEO is called he won't come. Even the Bank Negara governor comes to my office and the governor is more senior than the SRC CEO.
"I have never gotten the documents and I have never seen the officers," he said.
Earlier, Husni, reading from his witness statement, said he subsequently discovered that the RM4 billion in loans from KWAP was used by SRC for investment in the coal industry in Java, Indonesia and natural resources in Mongolia.
He claimed that some of the money was also kept in Switzerland and Hong Kong.
"At the time, the investments were not referred to me and I never received any documents about SRC making the investments even though my officer had requested for them from SRC," he added.
Husni said he had also attempted to verify whether the investment existed but was ignored.
"I had asked (then Finance Ministry investment division secretary) Mohd Isa Hussain to visit Jawa to ensure the investment existed but Isa did not go," he said.
Husni was appointed as the second finance minister in 2009 but resigned in June 2016.
Najib had sought to transfer Husni to another ministry in a cabinet reshuffle, prompting Husni to decline reappointment into the cabinet.
The former premier is standing trial on seven charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving RM42 million of SRC International's fund.
He is accused of receiving the sum as kickbacks for approving the RM4 billion loan to SRC.
Najib had denied wrongdoing or using public funds for personal gain. - Mkini
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