The Malaysian Insight

NEARLY every day before May 9, Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil was a feature at shopping complexes and cafes in Bangsar, the middle-class suburb in Kuala Lumpur.

Then came the fall of Najib Razak and Barisan Nasional, and the urbane former chief executive officer of SRC International hurriedly packed his bags and fled to Indonesia.

He knew that the incoming Pakatan Harapan would go all the way to uncover the wrongdoing at 1Malaysia Development Bhd and its former unit, SRC International.  

He also understood that he held two responsibilities that would make him a valuable witness in any prosecution against former Prime Minister Najib Razak.

In addition to being the CEO of SRC International, he held the power of attorney for Najib. What this meant was that Najib legally authorised Nik Faisal to represent him and act on his behalf, sources familiar with the SRC probe told The Malaysian Insight. 

Therefore, his testimony of why more than RM42 million was transferred from SRC into Najib’s private bank account would carry considerable weight. In addition, he could nullify several defences likely to be raised by Najib’s lawyers at trial, including the fact that the former PM’s signature or instructions were not found in any document authorising the transfer of the funds. 

Investigators also believe that as the person with the power of attorney, Nik Faisal had direct knowledge of the cheques that were issued from Najib’s personal bank account.

It is unclear if the former PNB official and UBG Perdana senior executive is still in Indonesia. He is familiar with Indonesia having fled there sometime in 2015 after the 1MDB scandal broke.

He told his friends that he was asked to leave the country then by Najib’s key aide in the Prime Minister’s Office. Also in tow was Suboh Md Yassin, a director with SRC International.

Both of them stayed in Indonesia for a period of time and gave statements to MACC officials, who visited them in Jakarta in 2015.

A couple of weeks ago, Suboh returned from Indonesia. He has been helping the MACC in their SRC probe. But the former senior civil servant is weak and suffers from memory loss as a result of a stroke. 

Malaysian authorities have asked Interpol to place Nik Faisal and Low Taek Jho, the financier believed to be the mastermind behind the scheme to divert billions of ringgit from state investment firm 1MDB, under its red notice watch. They have also issued warrants of arrest for both individuals. 

The Malaysian Insight understands that 1MDB investigators are working doubly hard behind the scenes to persuade Nik Faisal to meet them and help them in the final stretch of the SRC International probe.

He holds the key to explaining how the millions were transferred into Najib’s personal account and the spending spree that followed. – June 21, 2018.