The Malaysian Insight

FORMER prime minister Najib Razak’s professed ignorance of his personal finances, including the balance in his bank accounts, the spending limit on his credit card as well as a loan from Saudi Arabia at his corruption trial this week provided the nation with much to talk about.

The court heard from Najib that he issued cheques from his personal bank account without first checking the balance as he “had a sense” of how much was available.

When cross-examined by ad hoc prosecutor V. Sithambaram, the former finance minister said his personal funds were managed by his principal private secretary Azlin Alias, while SRC International transactions were carried out by his mandate holder, former CEO Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil.

Some verbal sparring occurred when Sithambaram questioned Najib on whether he had personally verified the balance in his account when he issued a cheque for RM2.5 million to Umno political operative, Habibul Rahman Kadir Shah Kadir.

Najib said he occasionally checked with Nik Faisal on his account status: “I have a sense there was enough balance.”

The Pekan MP maintained that the money was from a Saudi donor, a claim which Sithambaram disputed. Sithambaram said that the alleged Saudi donation had been exhausted by October 2014.

Najib also said that he did not know the spending limit of his credit card was RM3 million. He denied the prosecution’s suggestion that he fully took charge of his finances and that he had complete knowledge of the credit and debit transactions in his account, including a deposit of RM42 million into it.

“I find it difficult (to believe that being the) prime minister and finance minister, (you were) quite clueless (about your) accounts and went about with just a ‘sense’,” said Sithambaram, to which Najib maintained that he merely signed cheques for his other personal accounts.

Najib said he was not involved in SRC International operations as he was too busy running the country.

He was questioned on RM40 million transactions from SRC International corporate social responsibility partner, Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd on December 26, 2014, where RM27 million was transferred to Najib’s personal AmBank account ending in the numbers 880 and RM5 million was transferred to another of his account, ending in 906.

Sithambaram suggested the transactions were not disputed by SRC International executives.

Sithambaram: I am putting it to you that they did not challenge the transfer. You were a big person in SRC (International). That’s why I’m asking you.

Najib: I was not involved in operations, okay? I was looking after the whole country. Will you accept that?

Sithambaram: I don’t want to respond, otherwise it would not be very friendly. My answer will not be flattering.

Najib explained that he failed to report to the police that he thought his signature had been forged on SRC International-linked documents because he wished to first obtain affirmation from a handwriting expert.

Najib maintained that signatures on documents relating to SRC International and banking transactions, which were tendered in court as evidence, were forged.

Najib said he would lodge a police report after a handwriting expert testified that the signatures were forged.

Sithambaram suggested that Najib’s claim of forgery was an “afterthought” that had only surfaced during the defence stage of the trial, which the latter denied.

Najib is represented by a dozen lawyers led by Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. The prosecution is led by Attorney-General Tommy Thomas, before justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.

He faces three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power.

Najib’s charges are linked to RM4 billion in loans issued to SRC International in 2011 and 2012, for which he is accused of receiving RM42 million in his accounts in 2014 and 2015.

He faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment, if convicted.

The trial continues on January 6. – December 22, 2019.