A KNOWN aide of Najib Razak had issued a cheque amounting to RM2.5 million purportedly for a defence contract to a lawyer, the former prime minister’s SRC International trial heard this morning.

Lawyer Ashraf Abdul Razak has testified to receiving the cheque from Habibul Rahman Khadir Shah, an accountant and a long-time associate of Najib.

“When I was a partner in Zulqarnain and Co between 1996 and 2017, I recall receiving a cheque for RM2.5 million from Habibul for a purported defence contract,” the witness told the court when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi.

Ashraf told judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali that he was not informed who the cheque had come from. 

“Habibul informed me that there was a payment and I was requested to receive the cheque for a defence contract.

“I was called to his house at night and I received the cheque for RM2.5 million. He asked me to accept the fee and handle the money (on his behalf).” 

He said there was a small acknowledgement letter signed by Habibul on the payment of the cheque, adding that he deposited the cheque the next day at a CIMB Bank branch.

Ashraf said once the cheque had cleared into his firm’s account, he was instructed by Habibul to make payments to Habibul’s wife and children.

“I took my RM50,000 lawyers fee out of that money and then I was instructed to make payments to his wife and children.

“In stages after that, he told me to issue cheques to parties he determined, as well as cash cheques.”

When asked by Saifuddin if he knew why Habibul issued the cheque into the firm’s account and not his personal account, the lawyer said he did not.

Ashraf told the court that he did not question where the money came from because of Habibul’s standing in corporate society as a big player.

“I never asked where the money came from because of Habibul’s standing as a corporate player and because I’ve known him for a long time,” he said, adding that he had conducted business with Habibul at Fuelsubs House Sdn Bhd, a company that manages fuel subsidies.

He also said that he did not know that the money came from Najib.

He added at the same time of receiving the cheque, Habibul had taken him to a meeting with someone who wanted to supply military equipment.  

To a question by defence lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah if he had known that Habibul was also a political analyst and adviser, the witness said he was aware of that.

“Yes, I know,” he said.  

Following Ashraf, the next witness Edward Annasi, 57, who is a deputy senior manager at CIMB’s cheque clearance department in Plaza Pantai, confirmed that a cheque from AmIslamic Bank was deposited in to a CIMB account, namely the RM2.5 million cheque to Zulqarnain & Co. – April 24, 2019