NAJIB Razak’s SRC International Sdn Bhd trial enters its 56th day today, with the 57th and final prosecution witness, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigating officer Rosli Husain, returning to the stand.

Earlier today, lawyers were at another court, attending to case management for the 1Malaysia Development Bhd trial, where the former prime minister faces up to 25 criminal charges linked to RM2.28 billion in public funds.

Presiding judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah has delayed the 1MDB trial, which had been tentatively set to begin next Monday, after hearing from the defence that it will not be able to complete its cross-examination of Rosli by tomorrow.

Lawyers will be present before Sequerah tomorrow afternoon to finalise the 1MDB trial start date.

On Tuesday, Rosli told the court that it was an article by Sarawak Report, and not The Wall Street Journal, that sparked investigations into SRC International.

The article, titled “SENSATIONAL FINDINGS! – Prime Minister Najib Razak’s Personal Accounts Linked To 1MDB Money Trail MALAYSIA EXCLUSIVE!”, was used as the basis to open an investigation paper the same day it went up.

Rosli, however, denied coming into contact with Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown, and said he never ordered his subordinates to contact her.

The MACC man, who was made investigating officer in the SRC International probe on July 6, 2015, also denied knowledge of any leaks to the media.

He said the investigation paper was handed to the MACC director on December 31, 2015.

The case was reopened last year after the May 9 general election, and several witnesses were recalled for additional statements.

Among them was AmBank relationship manager Joanna Yu, who cooperated with MACC again in May this year to identify members of a BlackBerry chat group, which included wanted businessman Low Taek Jho and former SRC International CEO Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil.

Rosli reiterated that he questioned Low in Abu Dhabi on November 27, 2015.

Low and Nik Faisal remain at large after reneging on a promise to return to Malaysia to assist in the SRC International trial.

Najib’s charges are linked to RM4 billion in loans issued to the entity in 2011 and 2012, for which he is accused of receiving RM42 million in his accounts in 2014 and 2015.

The 66-year-old has been slapped with three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power.

His legal team is led by prominent Umno lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. Attorney-General Tommy Thomas leads the prosecution, while Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali presides.

The Malaysian Insight brings you today’s proceedings live:

4.40pm: Court is adjourned and will resume at 9.30am tomorrow.

4.39pm:  Harvinderjit asks the judge to adjourn for the day. He assures Nazlan he will be done with  his cross examination by tomorrow afternoon.

The judge consents on the condition that the re-examination of the witness after the cross examination be completed tomorrow.

3.37pm: Harvinderjit asks about the discrepancies between Suboh’s statement in Abu Dhabi in 2015, and the one he gave last year.

Harvinderjit suggests that Rosli had been pressured to get Suboh to change his witness statement.

Rosli: Not at all. That has never been the case.

3.35pm: When Suboh returned to Malaysia, Rosli instructed his officers to take Suboh’s statement again, and this time, he did not participate in the matter, the court hears.

Rosli says he wanted to see if Suboh’s testimony matched what the latter had said in Abu Dhabi.

3.32pm: Rosli says former SRC International director Suboh Md Yassin’s statement was taken six times, with the first in Abu Dhabi. He says he felt uncomfortable taking Suboh’s statement with a lawyer present.

He says he had doubts about the statement Suboh gave in Abu Dhabi. In the next room, says Rosli, Jho Low was also getting his statement taken, with his lawyer present.

3.02pm: Harvinderjit asks Rosli about transactions that Low and Terence Geh were involved in. Rosli says he is not sure about those transactions.

2.42pm: Court resumes after lunch. Harvinderjit continues his cross-examination.

1pm: Harvinderjit suggests that someone lied to Najib about the money in his bank accounts.

Rosli: I disagree.

Harvinderjit suggests Jho Low because the SRC International funds were transferred to Gandingan Mentari and then to Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB).

Rosli: I disagree.

Harvinderjit: Did Jho Low organise the RM42 million from Ung Su Lin into Najib’s accounts?

Rosli: I disagree.

12.56pm: Harvinderjit: Do the BlackBerry Messenger chats show that Jho Low was laundering the money?

Rosli: No.

H: Did Low take measures to hide from Najib information and transactions involving his AmBank accounts?

R: No, I don’t agree.

H: Did Low control Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd (PPC) and Permai Binaraya through Jerome Lee?

R: No, I don’t agree.

H: I put it to you that the account statements show that Low controlled SRC International funds through Jerome Lee?

R: I don’t agree.

H: Did Low lie to the bank about the source of the money in the accounts?

R: I disagree.

H: I suggest that the transactions show that those Najib was charged for were made by Low?

R: I don’t agree.

12.51pm: Rosli says Joanna Yu’s BlackBerry phone was in his possession.

12.36pm: Harvinderjit puts it to Rosli that MACC and the prosecution have given the representation that the money in Najib’s accounts was from SRC International, originating from its Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP) loans.

Harvinderjit asks Rosli whether he investigated the RM170 million going into the Putra Perdana development in July and August 2014. Rosli says he did.

Harvinderjit asks whether Rosli saw any document indicating that the sum was a loan. Rosli says no.

12.05pm: They are still verifying how Rosli obtained documents and whether they are originals or photocopies.

11.45am: Court back in session with Harvinderjit continuing his cross-examination.

11.19am: Court is in recess.

10.30am: Rosli confirms that RM396 million from a Saudi prince went into former prime minister Najib Razak’s accounts. He also confirms that Saudi Arabia’s Finance Ministry transferred more than RM200 million into Najib’s accounts.

Rosli says he knows the investigating officer in the 1MDB probe only as “Inspector Aida”.

Harvinderjit asks if he knows her full name, and Rosli snaps back: “I don’t know, she is not my wife.”

10am: After case management for the 1Malaysia Development Bhd trial is concluded, the SRC International Sdn Bhd hearing commences with the prosecution’s last witness, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigating officer Rosli Husain, taking the stand.

Defence lawyer Harvinderjit Singh begins his cross-examination. He is verifying when Rosli had interviewed witnesses, and for how long. – August 22, 2019.