A former 1MDB board member confirmed that a total RM2.28 billion of the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund’s monies went into Najib Abdul Razak’s bank accounts.
Ismee Ismail today was agreeing with the prosecution’s contention based on multiple flow charts allegedly showing the convoluted inflows from 1MDB to the then prime minister, finance minister and chairperson of 1MDB’s board of advisors.
The 13th prosecution witness was testifying in the RM2.28 billion 1MDB corruption trial against Pekan MP Najib.
During re-examination by senior ad-hoc deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram today, Ismee was shown multiple charts allegedly showing the circuitous and convoluted monetary trail from 1MDB to several entities before ending up in AmBank accounts ending with number 694 and 880.
In previous proceedings before trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, prosecution witnesses testified that the 694 and 880 accounts belonged to Najib.
Monetary trail
Among the flow charts that Sri Ram showed Ismee today was one allegedly showing the monetary trail where US$700 million of 1MDB’s funds - meant to be for its US$1 billion joint venture with Abu Dhabi’s Petrosaudi International (PSI) - was diverted to Good Star Limited.
The court previously heard that Good Star is allegedly controlled by businessperson Low Taek Jho better known as Jho Low, who the prosecution contended was acting on the authority of Najib.
Sri Ram today showed to Ismee the flow chart purportedly showed that through another circuitous route - allegedly involving Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki Abdullah among others - around a total RM30 million plus went into the 694 account on Feb 24 and June 14, 2011.
Ismee agreed with the DPP that these monies ended up in Najib’s bank account.
When Sri Ram showed another chart allegedly showing around US$45 million of 1MDB funds ended up in Najib’s 880 account between Oct 17, 2014 and Dec 10, 2014, Ismee agreed that the money ended up in the account.
Funds in Najib’s accounts
At the end of the various flow charts shown, Ismee agreed with the prosecution that a total RM2.28 billion in funds ended up in Najib’s accounts between 2011 and 2015.
Sri Ram: Having seen these (monetary trail) exhibits, do you want to review your answer while under cross-examination (by Najib’s defence team) that the accused did not get personal benefit (from the monetary inflows)?
Ismee: From the flow charts, I can see 1MDB money going into account 694 which belonged to the accused.
When the DPP asked about Ismee's observation about Najib and Low's relationship, the witness testified his belief that the duo had a "close relationship".
When Sri Ram showed the witness a photograph purportedly taken aboard a yacht in 2009, Ismee identified Low, Turki, Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor as among the people in the picture.
The photo first went viral in 2015 when investigative portal Sarawak Report carried a 1MDB-linked article with the photo.
Proceedings before Sequerah continues today, with defence counsel Hariharan Tara Singh resuming cross-examination of 12th prosecution witness Azmi Tahir, who used to be 1MDB’s chief financial officer.
Najib is on trial for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion of 1MDB’s funds.
Under criminal law, money laundering is the illegal process of making large amounts of money generated by criminal activity appear to have originated from a legitimate source.
Money from criminal activity is considered dirty, and the money laundering process ‘launders’ it to make it appear clean.
The accused’s defence team contended that he has no knowledge of any wrongdoing and that the embezzlement of monies from 1MDB was solely masterminded by Low and several members of the sovereign wealth fund’s management. - Mkini
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