The Malaysian Insight

NAJIB Razak’s former political secretary, Wong Nai Chee, and Batu Kawan Umno division chief Mohd Noor Ahmad are expected to testify today that they received RM346,000 via cheques from the former prime minister.

Both were named in a prosecution witness list made available to reporters yesterday, pertaining to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial.

Wong had testified at the SRC International trial, also to receiving cheques from Najib.

Today, Wong is expected to speak about handling a RM246,000 cheque linked to a money-laundering charge against Najib, where the latter is accused of paying tycoon Lim Soon Peng via an AmIslamic Bank cheque dated August 7, 2013.

Wong, an MCA member, previously told the SRC International trial that he also handled payments to Lim amounting to RM238,914 to help fund online pro-Barisan Nasional propaganda aimed at Chinese voters, one of it being the “Ah Jib Gor” Facebook page.

Noor is expected to testify that he received a RM100,000 cheque, dated August 7, 2013.

Yesterday, a digital media consultant testified that her company, Orb Solutions, received a RM2 million cheque, dated August 12, 2013, to fund operations to manage Najib’s online image.

Noorhaina Diarwani Mohd Nor told the court that in 2008, Najib’s officer Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin offered her to run a team of contractors to perform digital communications for the then deputy prime minister, as government agencies were then slower to adopt digital communications.

Three witnesses had also taken the stand: Farizah Ahmad, the deputy secretary at the Prime Minister’s Department, its accountant, Natasha Rahimah Haryati Mohamad, and parliamentary staff Farah Nurdiana Azhar.

Natasha confirmed that Najib’s monthly salary as prime minister was RM58,605.15.

She also said Najib given a special RM1 million one-off payment after stepping down prime minister in May 2018, which was in accordance to the law.

At the start of yesterday’s proceedings, special deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram accused Najib of working with his “alter ego” Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, to pilfer 1MDB.  

“After the 1MDB scandal broke in early July 2015, the accused with his mirror image Jho Low took steps to cover his tracks. Sham documents were produced to pretend a donation from an Arab prince,” Sri Ram said in the opening statement.

“If you place the accused before a mirror, you will see Jho Low. And if you place Jho Low before a mirror, you will see the accused.”

Najib faces 25 charges – four counts of abusing his position to gain for himself RM2.3 billion and a further 21 counts of money-laundering relating to the same amount. The 66-year-old faces up to 20 years imprisonment if found guilty.

He is represented by a dozen lawyers led by Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Sri Ram, a former Federal Court judge, leads the prosecution while Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah presides.

The Malaysian Insight brings you today’s proceedings live:

4.50pm: Judge Sequerah calls time on the proceedings for today. The same witness will return to the stand on Tuesday at 9.30am.

4.04pm: Shafee breaks the monotony of document verification by addressing judge Sequerah. He asks if the judge would consider finishing at 4.30pm today. Sequerah orders proceedings go on to 4.45pm.

2.43pm: Trial resumes with Rafidah continuing to verify documents of 1MDB and its subsidiaries.

12.58pm: Court breaks for lunch and will resume at 2.30pm with witness No. 7.

12.16pm: Rafidah says she handed over the documents to Farid on the same day.

They’re going through each document to submit them as evidence. There are more than 170 documents.

12.07pm: Court resumes after a short break. Witness No. 7 Rafidah Yahya, 48, is the assistant registrar of companies in the Companies Commission Malaysia (SSM).

She says on May 28, 2018, an MACC officer named Farid Ismail came to SSM to request documents on 1MDB, which was earlier known as Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA).

11.25am: The witness is released from the stand.

11.12am: Shafee begins his cross-examination.

11.10am: The money was used for charitable works in Batu Kawan, Noor said.

The division never returned the money to Najib and that Noor is still serving as chief.

11.07am: Noor says he told Najib that Batu Kawan Umno was low in funds in 2013, after which the former party president issued a cheque of RM100,000.

10.59am: The witness is released from the stand.

Witness No. 6 Batu Kawan Umno division chief Mohd Noor Ahmad takes the stand.

10.47am: Shafee suggests that the term was a way to make Najib relatable. He said (Najib’s predecessor Abdullah Ahmad) Badawi’s nickname was “Pak Lah” and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is known as “Che Det”.

10.43am: Wong said Najib was a tolerant man.

The “Ah Jib Gor” Facebook page refers to “Brother Najib”. Wong said it was formed to communicate with the people.

10.26am: Wong tells Shafee that Najib had three political secretaries, including himself.

For activities involving the grassroots, Lim was the contact person as he could mobilise the grassroots, Wong tells Shafee.

Lim had contact with Chinese civil society groups and could pass pro-BN messages to the grassroots.

10.25am: Shafee starts his cross-examination.

10.24am: Sri Ram ends his examination.

10.20am: There was a negative perception against the government among the Chinese and they needed to change it.

Wong said Najib also made out another cheque dated January 31, 2012 to pay a political analyst.  

He banked in the cheque and made the payment out to the analyst.

(The two cheques amounted to RM238,914.)

10.19am: The two companies distributed articles on government policies and the economy titled towards the Chinese community.

Wong says the government had done a lot of good that wasn’t getting highlighted.

10.15am: Wong says the money given to Lim was then disbursed to two parties: Akademi Kewartawan & Informasi Taima and AD network.

These two entities did work for Najib, specifically the “Ah Jib Gor” Facebook account.

When asked why Najib didn’t pay them directly, Wong told the court that it would be dangerous to Najib’s image if word got out on social media that he had paid these two companies. Therefore, Lim was used as a proxy.

(AD Network administered the “Ah Jib Gor” Facebook page and Akademi Kewartawanan & Informasi Taima was paid for publishing a Chinese weekly publication.)

10.11am: Sri Ram shows Wong a cheque, which he said Najib gave him and later handed over to Lim.

10.07am: Wong was Najib’s political secretary in 2011, serving the then prime minister.

Sri Ram asks him if he’s heard of Lim Soon Peng, to which he said “yes”.

Lim was in charge of mobilising grassroots crowds for the then prime minister, Wong said.

Tycoon Lim was the brains behind the “Ah Jib Gor” Facebook page.

10.06am: Gopal Sri Ram calls witness No. 5, former Kota Melaka MP Wong Nai Chee, who was Najib’s adviser in Chinese affairs.

10.05am: Court is in session.

9.56am: Defence and prosecution lawyers together with Najib are all seated in the chambers awaiting Sequerah to start Day 2 of the 1MDB-Tanore trial. – August 29, 2019.