JOHOR Baru Umno division secretary Abu Talib Alias identified Najib Razak with the catchphrase “Malu apa bossku” when he was asked to identify the former prime minister at SRC International trial today.

At the end of his 45-minute testimony, Abu Talib was asked by deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi to identify the former prime minister, Abu Talib indicated with his hand.

“Itu dia. Malu apa bossku,” he said, drawing laughter from the courtroom, including Najib.

Abu Talib was using the catchphrase popularised by Najib’s supporters in posters and a song.

Abu Talib and another Umno leader as well as a shelter home trustee and a handyman testified today to receiving over RM800,000 in cheques originating from Najib’s AmBank account.

Abdul Munir Othman, a trustee of Yayasan Penyayang Tun Abdul Razak testified that he received RM400,000,

Abu Talib received RM300,000, while Asmadi Abu Talib, who is the Padang Serai Umno division chief in Kedah, testified that he received RM50,000.

Syadilah Enterprise proprietor Daud Muhamad said in total he received RM77,300 for repair work and construction of water towers in Najib’s house in Pekan, Pahang.

Abu Talib said there are 86 people in his division. He said he took money in his capacity as the division chief from Najib in his capacity as Umno president. He accepted money from Najib thrice in all, the last time in 2015.

He said the money he received was never enough to run party activities such as welfare and education programmes.  

Abu Talib testified he got a call from Najib’s senior private secretary, the late Azlin Alias, to go to the PM’s office in Putrajaya to collect a cheque. He told Johor Umno head Shahril Samad that he had been instructed to collect the cheque. He picked up the cheque on a Monday.  

Azlin died in a helicopter crash in 2015.  

Abu Talib said he met Najib in person when he was elected the Padang Serai Umno division head in 2013.

Asmadi, a retired teacher, who was the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Merbau Pulas state seat in the May 9 elections, testified that he deposited the cheque into his personal account because the cheque from Najib was issued to him and not to the division.

Hence, he said the party did not meet to discuss how the RM50,000 should be spent.

Munir, who runs Pusat Latihan Khidmat Negara in Pekan, said he is one of Rumah Penyayang Tun Abdul Razak’s four trustees. He said he might have received his cheques at the prime minister’s office or at the Finance Ministry.  – April 22,– April 22, 2019.