No cash withdrawn from Najib’s two accounts: Banker

1MDB TRIAL | Najib Abdul Razak never withdrew cash from two bank accounts linked to the RM2.28 billion corruption case, the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard today.

R Uma Devi, the manager of AmBank’s branch at Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur, testified this during the related graft trial against the former prime minister and finance minister.

As Najib looked on from the dock this afternoon, the 37th prosecution witness was replying during cross-examination by the accused’s lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

The lawyer was asking her about the various cheque transactions made out of Najib’s two accounts ending with 694 and 880.

The 694 and 880 accounts were later closed in 2013 and 2015, respectively.

Previously, Uma Devi testified that various cheques to political organisations and individuals were made between 2011 and 2013.

Shafee: There were no cash withdrawal?

Uma Devi: Yes.

Shafee: If Najib wanted to spend for himself, having cash on hand is better for him?

Uma Devi: It depends on the person.

Shafee: But there was no cash withdrawal from the accounts?

Uma Devi: Yes.

The witness also agreed with the lawyer that Najib never issued cheques under his name.

Proceedings before trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah will resume tomorrow afternoon.

Power abuse, money laundering

Najib is on trial for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion from 1MDB.

In relation to the four abuse of power charges, the Pekan MP was alleged to have committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Berhad’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch in Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur, between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014.

On the 21 money laundering counts, Najib is purported to have committed the offences at the same bank between March 22, 2013, and Aug 30, 2013.

In the prosecution’s opening statement at the beginning of the trial on Aug 28, 2019, lead deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram contended that the crime was allegedly committed through four phases spanning from 2011 to 2014.

Prosecutors contended that the first nine money laundering charges relate to allegedly receiving RM2,081,476,926 which forms the subject matter of the amended third charge and that the monies purportedly fell into the accused’s account ending in 694 with AmIslamic Bank.

The prosecution claimed that between Aug 2, 2013, and Aug 23, 2013, the accused transferred a sum of RM2,034,350,000 to Tanore Singapore.

Prosecutors alleged that simultaneously, the accused used the balance of RM22,649,000 to pay four entities and one individual.

The prosecution contends that all these payments purportedly benefitted the accused.

They also contended that Najib received US$20 million (RM60,629,839.43) of 1MDB’s funds from alleged Arab royal “Prince Faisal” via two tranches of US$10 million each - the first tranche was on Feb 24, 2011, and the second tranche on June 14, 2011.

The prosecution contended that the wrongdoing at 1MDB was carried out by fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) and several others with Najib’s blessing.

The accused’s defence team, however, claimed that the former prime minister had no knowledge of the crime perpetrated at 1MDB and the embezzlement was solely masterminded by Low and other members of the fund’s management.

1MDB is fully owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc).

Najib also used to be the chairperson of 1MDB’s board of advisers.

The BN advisory chairperson is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence after the Federal Court on Aug 23 dismissed his appeal against the SRC International conviction over seven criminal charges, the custodial term, and a RM210 million fine in lieu of an additional five years in jail.

Initially a subsidiary of 1MDB, SRC later became fully owned by MOF Inc. Najib also used to be adviser emeritus to SRC.

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