Najib behind sexual misconduct claims against me, says ex-minister

Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah (right).

KUALA LUMPUR: Former second finance minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah today accused Najib Razak of engineering sexual harassment and corruption allegations against him after he left office in 2016, the corruption trial of the former prime minister heard today.

Husni, the 56th prosecution witness in the trial on transfers of money linked to SRC International Sdn Bhd, was answering questions from Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Husni said he resigned from the Cabinet on his own accord in June 2016 but spoke for about 30 minutes about the future of the country in the Dewan Rakyat during a sitting in October that year, in his capacity as Tambun MP.

Shafee then asked Husni whether he spoke in the legislature because he (Husni) was victimised.

Shafee: Were you upset that there were allegations against you?
Husni: Yes.
Shafee: Did you associate these allegations with Najib over the sexual harassment against a female staff in your office and financial scandal?
Husni: Yes.
Shafee: Was there a police report made against you for the sexual harassment?
Husni: Yes.

At this juncture, ad-hoc prosecutor V Sithambaram objected to the line of questioning, saying it was irrelevant to the charges.

“These questions are intended to embarrass the witness,” he said.
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Shafee replied that Husni had come to the court as an angry man to take revenge against Najib.

The lawyer said it was only Husni’s perception that Najib engineered the whole thing.

Trial judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali then ruled that the question on sexual harassment was scandalous and aimed at embarassing the witness.

He said there was to be no more questions on the matter.

Earlier, Husni told the court that he first read in the newspaper on June 27, 2016 that Najib intended to move him out to another ministry.

“I met him after an Economic Council meeting on the same day and he informed me that I would be transferred to the housing and local government ministry,” he said.

Husni said he asked Najib to drop him from the Cabinet.

The witness said he wanted to resign in 2015 but chose to remain in the Cabinet to complete the government’s rationalisation programme to settle the RM42 billion owed by 1MDB.

Husni said out of respect for Najib, he told the media and his constituents that he left the government due to 1MDB and SRC.

Najib is facing 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.

He 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.

Hearing continues. - FMT