Najib says signatures on documents could have been forged

Former prime minister Najib Razak.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Najib Razak told the High Court here today that he is unsure whether his signatures on documents relating to his SRC International corruption trial are real or forged.

He said this was why he wished to engage an expert from Australia to determine the authenticity of signatures on certain court exhibits.

“I am not sure whether the signatures were forged. That is why I am applying to call an expert to verify them,” he said.

However, ad hoc prosecutor V Sithambaram, who is cross-examining Najib, said this would not be necessary as Najib himself should be able to determine the matter.

“The expert can come and give evidence, and he would testify what you want him to say,” he added.

Last week, Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the expert would conduct an examination of the exhibits in the presence of court staff and prosecution members.

However, Sithambaram objected to the defence’s request, saying the prosecution might be prejudiced.

Trial judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali then ordered the defence team to file a formal application for his consideration.

The prosecution is arguing that Najib’s signatures should not be an issue as the former prime minister raised no objection when questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The defence was also silent on the matter when key documents were handed over by the prosecution, as well as when Najib gave his statement of defence as required under the MACC Act.

Sithambaram said the signature issue was raised for the first time in the midst of the trial as an afterthought.

He said the defence had only urged the court not to accept copies of documents as evidence.

Najib, who is in the witness box, said today that he had doubts over the signatures during the investigation but kept these to himself.

But Sithambaran said if that was the case, the MACC officers could not have known what was in his mind.

He also took a swipe at defence counsel Harvinderjit Singh for interfering in his cross-examination of Najib.

He told Harvinderjit, who stepped into the courtroom midway through the proceedings, that the defence had been given “all latitude” when cross-examining the prosecution witnesses.

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

He is also charged with three counts of money laundering and three counts of criminal breach of trust in the transfer of RM42 million to his accounts from the former 1MDB unit.

The hearing continues before Nazlan.