The Malaysian Insight

NAJIB Razak said in court today that Low Taek Jho, commonly known as Jho Low, deposited tens of millions into his account but was never privy to the details of their source. 

During cross-examination in his SRC International trial by ad-hoc prosecutor V. Sithambaram, the former prime minister confirmed that Penang-born Low was responsible for depositing RM80 million to RM90 million into his personal bank accounts from 2011, which the Pekan MP later spent.

Sithambaram: You have throughout portrayed yourself, in these transactions, as a victim of manipulation?

Najib: Correct.

Sithambaram: But you must be the first victim of any manipulation to actually gain millions of dollars in your account.

Najib: I don’t know. You can put it that way.

Sithambaram: Usually a victim of any manipulation would lose money!

Najib: Yes.

Sithambaram: And here it appears that the manipulator has lost money!

Najib: I cannot come to any conclusion.

Sithambaram: Based on the facts of this case, he (Low) put in RM80 million to RM90 million. He put it in, yes?

Najib: Yes. But I don’t know what else he made from other places.

Sithambaram: I am putting it to you that there is no way Jho Low was manipulating the accounts of a prime minister, a finance minister and the most powerful political figure in the country at that time.

Najib: I disagree.

Najib said that he relied on his late principal private secretary Azlin Alias to maintain his personal Ambank accounts ending with 880, 898 and 906. The Pekan MP agreed with Sithambaram’s suggestion that Azlin would have been aware of the flow of money into those accounts.

Sithambaram: Datuk Seri, you confirmed that Datuk Azlin is a man of integrity and you trust him implicitly, even until today.

Najib: Yes.

Sithambaram: I am putting it to you, that Datuk Azlin would have told you that RM42 million was paid into your account between December 2014 and February 2015.

Najib: I disagree.

Sithambaram: But you certainly agree with me that Datuk Azlin would have absolutely no reason to keep these payments, reflected in your bank account, as a closely guarded secret from you?

Najib: I disagree. I wouldn’t know. He didn’t tell me.

Sithambaram: The point is, Datuk Seri, taking the fact that man is a person of integrity, to maintain your account, he would have absolutely no reason to keep the payment of RM42 million into your account as a secret.

Najib: He did not tell me.

Sithambaram: Datuk Seri, the reason you are denying knowledge of such a large sum of RM42 million entering into your account and you having spent it, is to deny knowledge of the charges against you.

Najib: I disagree.

Sithambaram: You have said repeatedly said, “keterangan ini tidak masuk akal” (this statement does not make sense). I am putting it to you, this statement does not make sense.

Najib: I disagree.

Sithambaram: So it is your case Datuk Seri, that as an account holder, you are not responsible for the credit into your account, but only responsible for spending the money. Very good case… I am being cynical here.

Najib: I can take it.

The former finance minister said Azlin would never inform him of the amount debited or credited into his accounts but would inform him whether there is sufficient money in them to issue cheques.

Najib added he believed the bank statements were deliberately not sent to him.

Sithambara: Did you ask him for the source of funds.

Najib: No.

Sithambaram: You were not bothered to check where the funds came from.

Najib: I have faith in him.

Sithambara: The only reason you didn’t ask was because you already knew the source of the funds. You agree or disagree?

Najib: I disagree.

The 66-year-old former prime minister is on trial for seven charges linked to RM4 billion in loans issued to SRC International in 2011 and 2012, of which he is accused of receiving RM42 million in 2014 and 2015. – January 8, 2020.