Najib received and used RM606 million from 3 accounts, former banker tells court

Former AmBank relationship manager Joanna Yu Ging Ping.

KUALA LUMPUR: A former AmBank banker told the High Court in Najib Razak’s SRC International Sdn Bhd trial today that over RM606 million was deposited and spent by the former prime minister from his three bank accounts.

Joanna Yu Ging Ping, a former relationship manager at the bank, said this when questioned by lead prosecutor V Sithambaran about the RM606,510,434.66 reportedly used by Najib between 2013 and 2015.

The court previously heard that Najib’s three AmBank accounts ending with 898, 906 and 880 were closed on March 9, 2015.

Today, Yu was also asked whether the account holder would have been aware of the large sums of money transacted into the three accounts.

“If you are the account holder and you got the bank statement, you would know,” she said.

When asked if she had known of allegations that any of the cheques were not issued by Najib, Yu said no.

She added that Najib had never enquired with the bank as to the source of the funds, including from Vista Equity and “Arab money” deposited into his accounts.

“If you (the account holder) wrote the cheques, you would know that there are sufficient funds,” she said.

Yu also said that fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, had once referred to Najib as “Optimus Prime” (OP) in a Blackberry Messenger chat.

The message sent on Nov 26, 2014, which she read out in court, said: “OP says likely to close accounts by December 2014.”

“I took it that it meant Najib,” she said.

The hearing continues before High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, with former second finance minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah scheduled to testify later today.

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 on Jalan Raja Chulan and the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya between Aug 17, 2011, and Feb 10, 2015. - FMT