CLOSE to RM800,000 in cheques were issued in early 2015 from Najib Razak’s bank account to fund efforts to understand online news narratives and influence them to favour the former prime minister and his administration, witnesses testified in court today.

Some operatives were paid to run news organisations to influence public opinion, according to three witnesses testifying at the SRC International trial.

The witnesses claimed that the Prime Minister’s Department, via cheques from the former prime minister’s account, paid out RM150,000 every month to a media company that sent routine reports to the government on Chinese news and issues affecting the Chinese community.

A former political secretary to Najib also testified that he helped an influential businessman, Lim Soon Peng, to pay off the administrators of the Facebook group “Ah Jib Gor”, which was tasked to influence online Chinese users and garner support from them.

Wong Nai Chee testified that an online website, Chinese Weekly, also received money for the same purpose. Both outfits received RM238,914.

Onn Hafiz Ghazi, a Johor Umno politician and great-grandson of Onn Jaafar, also testified to receiving RM240,000 to fund Malaysian Digest, an “alternative” news website that promoted government policies of Barisan Nasional.

That website was shuttered in July last year, two months after Pakatan Harapan swept into power on May 9. 

Onn Hafiz testified that he owned shares of Vital Spire Sdn Bhd, a company based in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur that “provides motivational and leadership courses”.

He told deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi that he received a cheque for RM240,000 dated January 30, 2015, from Najib in person.

Saifuddin: What is the purpose of the website?

Onn Hafiz: The purpose of the website is to disseminate news.

Saifuddin: The orders to set up the website from whom?

Onn Hafiz: It was set up on the direction of Najib.

Onn Hafiz: I met him in PM’s office.

Saifuddin: Met him alone or in a group?

Onn Hafiz: Alone.

Under cross-examination by Najib’s lead counsel Shafee Abdullah, Onn Hafiz said the web portal provided “alternative” news.

Onn Hafiz: We want to give a balanced news for the general public. And combat fake news.

Shafee: Is there anything in the contents that promotes government policy?

Onn Hafiz: Yes.

Onn Hafiz added there were 12 people on the Malaysian Digest editorial team.

Wong, who served in the Prime Minister’s Department from December 2011 until May last year, testified that it was his responsibility to hand the cheque to Lim, whom he described as having grassroots connections within the Chinese community.

Lim was named as a recipient of a cheque of RM238,914 dated February 12, 2015, issued from Najib’s Ambank account.

The cheque was for Lim to pay AD Network, which runs the Ah Jib Gor Facebook group, and Akademi Kewartawan & Informasi Taima, which runs Chinese Weekly, Wong testified.

Wong testified that the Ah Jib Gor group was formed “to disseminate the correct and accurate news on government policy to the public and to have online interaction between Datuk Seri Najib and his followers”.

Chinese Weekly had “objective writers”, Wong said

“We feel it was important to have objective writers. So we need people to write more objectively so that we can project the government’s policies, of the right perspective, to the public,” he said.

Wong said that to his knowledge, “all the money” listed on the cheque were “all transferred out” for such purposes. He added that he routinely dealt with Lim for his “services”.

Shafee: Tell us about the grassroots jobs that this Tan Sri (Lim) was doing.

Wong: To mobilise the old folks home, Chinese temples.

Shafee: Is this important?

Wong: It is very important to us (the government).

Also testifying today was Rita Sim, director of Centre for Strategic Engagement.

Her company carries out survey, public policy research and Chinese media monitoring services, including of six Chinese dailies, she said.

The six Chinese dailies being monitored were Sin Chew Daily, Nanyang Siang Pau, China Press, Guang Ming Daily, Kwong Wah Yit Poh and Oriental Daily

“The instructions were given to us by the late Jamaluddin Jarjis,” she said, adding that although she had met Najib, it was “always in a group” and she herself had never received instructions from Najib on her job.

Jamaluddin was a minister of science, technology and innovation, before he was killed in a helicopter crash in 2015.

Sim, however, confirmed that her company received a cheque of RM300,000 issued from Najib’s account for work done in December 2014 and January 2015, and that she was employed to work for the Prime Minister’s Department.

Shafee: When you met Najib, was it in the presence of Jamaluddin?

Sim: Yes. Jamaluddin wanted to know what affected the Chinese community, why they appear to be anti-government.

Shafee: Who were you dealing with, in the PM’s Department? Was there an officer to deal with the Chinese issues?

Sim: I don’t deal with that. I was there to do the media analysis and pass the information to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Shafee: Did you understand that it was important for Barisan Nasional to understand the Chinese dissatisfaction with the government (then)? Do you agree?

Sim: I think they are concerned with every (segment). The Chinese community is part of the Malaysian community.

Shafee: You sent a report to the PM?

Sim: No. Only to the PM media office.

Shafee: Who did you send it to? Anyone in particular?

Sim: We just sent it to the PMO media office.

Sim said she still runs the company today and that she has a postgraduate degree in Chinese linguistics and was educated in the UK.

There were two other witnesses who took the stand today – Penang Umno liaison executive secretary Ahmad Sahar Shuib and former Upko vice-president Marcus Mojigoh.

Ahmad Sahar said Penang Umno received RM1 million via a cheque from Najib’s account, although RM2 million was requested from Umno Malaysia to fund statewide welfare programmes and party activities. 

Marcus said Upko, a Barisan Nasional component, also received RM1 million to fund welfare programmes party activities. He too, testified that it was insufficient. 

The trial continues tomorrow. – April 23, 2019.