Najib affirmed signatures on seized banking documents his, court told

Najib Razak had five savings and current accounts at the Ambank Raja Chulan branch between 2011 and 2015, the High Court was told.

KUALA LUMPUR: Najib Razak confirmed during investigations that his signatures on seized bank documents were authentic, the High Court heard today in the corruption and criminal breach of trust trial of the former prime minister.

“Nor did he deny that the signatures in the documents were forged,” Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigating officer Rosli Hussain said.

Rosli, the prosecution’s 57th and final witness, said this when he was examined by deputy public prosecutor Suhaimi Ibrahim.

He said MACC officers had confiscated banking documents from the Ambank branch on Jalan Raja Chulan where Najib had five savings and current accounts between 2011 and 2015.

Rosli said MACC officers recorded statements from Najib three times, the first on Dec 5, 2015. He was was also questioned twice after he was no longer prime minister, on May 22 and May 24 last year.

“We referred all Ambank documents to him when the statements were recorded. He confirmed all the signatures were his. He also did not deny that the signatures were forged,” he said.

At this juncture, defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah stood up and objected to the answers provided by Rosli on grounds it was hearsay evidence.

Ad hoc prosecutor V Sithambaram told trial judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali that the prosecution would make a submission on the matter at the appropriate time.

The documents in question were signatures of Najib on 15 cheques, a mandate letter and a letter of instruction for former SRC International CEO Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil to manage his accounts with the Ambank branch.

The manager of the branch, R Uma Devi, had testified that Najib opened a savings and a urrent account in January 2011 but closed them on Aug 30, 2013.

She further testified that Najib opened three current accounts with the branch on July 31 and closed them on March 9 , 2015.

Another witness, Joanna Yu Ging Ping, who was relationship manager at the Ambank headquarters, also told the court that Najib had given the sole mandate to Nik Faisal to handle his three Ambank current accounts opened in 2013.

Najib faces six charges of money laundering and criminal breach of trust in the transfer of RM42 million to his account from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.

He is also accused of abusing his power as prime minister by giving government guarantees on SRC International’s RM4 billion loan from Retirement Fund Inc.

The Pekan MP was charged with committing the offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd in Jalan Raja Chulan and the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya between Aug 17, 2011, and Feb 10, 2015.

The hearing before Nazlan continues. - FMT