Najib Razak appeared shocked when informed that RM42 million had entered into his personal bank accounts between 2014 and 2015, former Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB) managing director Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman told the High Court today.
Testifying as the second witness in a lawsuit brought by SRC International Sdn Bhd and its subsidiary Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd, Shamsul recounted how he was arrested and questioned for four days over the funds which passed through IPSB’s account.
The two companies are suing the former prime minister to recover RM42 million allegedly misappropriated from SRC’s accounts.
During examination-in-chief by SRC’s lawyer Kwan Will Sen, Shamsul explained that he visited Najib at the then prime minister’s residence after he was released by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to brief him on the interrogation.
He said MACC investigators had asked who authorised the RM42 million transfer, but he told them he was unaware of both the source of the funds and the intended recipient.
The transfers were made in three tranches of RM27 million, RM5 million, and RM10 million.
Shamsul said he informed Najib that he had followed instructions given by Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) CEO Ung Su Lin when moving funds that entered IPSB’s account into the designated accounts.
YR1M had provided IPSB with grants for community programmes linked to the 1Malaysia initiative.
He added that MACC officers showed him the money trail and told him the accounts with numbers ending with “880” and “906” belonged to Najib.
He said he later told Najib: “I didn’t know the money belonged to you, sir.”
Asked whether Najib had given him any instructions during the meeting, Shamsul replied: “No. Najib was just shocked. The conversation ended that way.”
‘You don’t have to know’
Cross-examined by Najib’s counsel Shafee Abdullah, Shamsul repeated that instructions to effect the transfers had come from Ung.
Shamsul said Ung had told him funds would be deposited into IPSB’s account which must then be transferred elsewhere. He claimed that she did not disclose the purpose of the transfer despite being asked.
Shafee: Didn’t you find it strange?
Shamsul: I asked her the purpose of the transfer, and she told me it was for CSR (corporate social responsibility programmes).
Shafee: Did you ask why your account was used?
Shamsul: I asked why my account was used and who the recipient was. She evaded the questions and said: “It’s a private account, you don’t have to know.”
The hearing before Justice Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan continues on Nov 25.
