NAJIB TRIAL | Former premier Najib Abdul Razak paid RM240,000 to a relative to operate the defunct Malaysian Digest news portal, the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard today.

Layang-Layang state assemblyperson Onn Hafiz Ghazi, 44, said he was a shareholder at Vital Spire Sdn Bhd, which he described as a company that provided leadership and motivational training.

Under cross-examination from deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi, Hafiz said that Vital Spire received an RM240,000 cheque from Najib in 2015 explicitly to finance Malaysian Digest.

Saifuddin: Where did the instruction to set up this news portal come from?

Hafiz: On Najib's instructions. I met him alone at the Prime Minister's Office at that time. I received the cheque from him. He signed the cheque in front of me.

Hafiz said that Malaysian Digest offered balanced news and dispelled fake news, and contained news from both the government and the then opposition.

He added that 12 staff were involved with the website, which shut down in July last year.

Hafiz, the 16th prosecution witness in Najib's corruption trial in relation to SRC International Sdn Bhd, is the grandson of third prime minister Hussein Onn and nephew to former Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein. 

Najib and Hishammuddin are cousins.

He also served as Hishammuddin's political secretary when the latter was defence minister. He contested for the first time in the last general election.

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