THE prosecution in the SRC International case has revealed that fund transfers linked to Najib Razak took place in two banks.

The second witness, Bank Negara investigation officer Azizul Adzani Abdul Ghafar, testified that a raid was carried out on AmBank’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch as part of investigations into SRC International and its subsidiary, Gandingan Mentari.

This was followed by the testimony of the third witness, analyst and investigating officer at Bank Negara’s Financial Intelligence and Enforcement Department, Mohammad Nizam Yahya who said he led a raiding party to another bank, Affin Bank Bhd, also on Jalan Raja Chulan to obtain bank documents related to SRC International’s CSR unit Ihsan Perdana.

The Wall Street Journal had in 2015 reported that SRC International transferred RM40 million to Gandingan Mentari on December 24, 2014 which was later transferred to Ihsan Perdana the same day.

Of this amount, RM32 million found its way into two Ambank private bank accounts purportedly belonging to Najib, in two tranches of RM27 million and RM5 million for CSR programmes.

Nizam told the court today that he had served Affin Bank Bhd with a notice under Section 37(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 on July 6, 2015.

Nizam testified that he obtained from Affin Bank officer and advisory head Nimma Shafira Khalid, documents linked to 14 Rentas transactions, or large multi-currency interbank transfers.

The 39-year-old told the court that he also obtained further evidentiary documents on July 7, 9, 10, and 13, 2015.

The original documents were later handed over to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in June 22, 2018.
 
A 2015 MACC probe into SRC International’s irregularities, including at Ihsan Perdana, had failed to result in court charges, which led to the protest resignation of MACC’s special operations director Bahri Mohamad Zain.

Nizam said that he received evidentiary documents such as opening account forms on three current accounts under Ihsan Perdana.

SRC was established in 2011 to explore international strategic investments in the energy field.

It was a subsidiary of the sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) before it went under the purview of the Finance Ministry led at the time by Najib.

Earlier today, defence lawyer Harvinderjit Singh accused Azizul of withholding further information regarding a raid on the bank to seize documents related to Najib.

Documents related to Najib and SRC International and its subsidiary, Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd were confiscated in a raid on an Ambank branch on July 6, 2015.

Azizul testified he had waited at the bank from morning till 9.15pm to receive evidentiary documents from bank manager R. Uma Devi, on the day of the raid.

The documents detailed transactions of sums between RM5 million and RM40 million which took place between December 2014 and February 2015.

Azizul said he did not know the details of a second raid which took place in the same building conducted by the central bank’s Financial Intelligence and Enforcement Department.

“Please come out of your cave, you are clearly not telling us the whole story,” Harvinderjit told the witness.

Azizul, during cross-examination, later confirmed he received 11 documents from Uma that night. They were:

• Account opening form for account number 211-002-009048-1;
• Single credit confirmation advice dated December 24, 2014 for RM40 million;
• Single credit confirmation advice dated February 5, 2015 for RM5 million;
• Single credit confirmation advice dated December 26, 2014 for RM27 million;
• Single credit confirmation advice dated December 26, 2014 for RM5 million;
• Withdrawal transfer slip dated January 9, 2015 for RM39.7 million;
• Instruction letter dated January 9, 2015 for RM39.7 million;
• Withdrawal transfer slip dated February 13, 2015 for RM10 million;
• Instruction letter dated January 13, 2015 for RM10 million;
• Deposit slip dated December 24, 2014 for RM40 million.

The amount totals to RM94.7 million. It was not stated yet whose accounts were involved.

Najib, dressed in a grey suit, later held a press conference and took questions on the East Coast Rail Link and the early childhood education programme envisioned by his wife Rosmah Mansor

Attorney-General Tommy Thomas led the prosecution, while Najib is represented by his lead counsel Shafee Abdullah. – April 16, 2019.