NAJIB Razak’s SRC International Sdn Bhd trial enters its 16th day today, with the defence continuing its cross-examination of the 31st witness, Kuala Lumpur Maybank branch assistant manager Halijah Abdul Wahab.

Yesterday, she told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that 10 transactions occurred between July 8, 2014 and January 7, 2015, involving Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd, Putra Perdana Development Sdn Bhd and Permai Binaraya Sdn Bhd.

The largest transaction took place on December 12, 2014, when RM140 million was transferred from Putra Perdana Construction to SRC International.

Notably, Halijah testified that RM27 million was transferred from Permai Binaraya to the former prime minister’s AmBank account ending with “880” on July 8, 2014.

She said the same amount was transferred back to Permai Binaraya six months later, on December 29, 2014.

Halijah’s testimony made no mention of money originating from SRC International, or that the three companies were recipients of funds belonging to the former 1Malaysia Development Bhd unit.

The three firms named were previously reported to be subsidiaries of Putrajaya Perdana Sdn Bhd, a construction and property development company that was once controlled by wanted Penang businessman Low Taek Jho.

Putrajaya Perdana was not named in court yesterday. It was reportedly sold in 2008 to UBG Bhd, linked to Sarawak Governor Abdul Taib Mahmud’s family. At the time, Taib was chief minister.

UBG was later acquired by Petrosaudi International Ltd (Seychelles), reportedly assisted by a loan from 1MDB in 2010. The company was later sold to Cendana Destini Sdn Bhd in 2012.

Yesterday, the court also heard that AmBank Group was fined by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) in November 2015 for not reporting suspicious transactions involving Najib’s accounts.

BNM senior investigating officer Ahmad Farhan Sharifuddin said the bank, where Najib held five accounts between January 13, 2011 and March 9, 2015, failed to submit the required suspicious transaction reports.

He did not disclose the amount of the fine. It was earlier reported that AmBank was slapped with a RM53.7 million fine on November 23, 2015, with respect to non-compliance with certain regulations.

Najib faces three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power over RM42 million he allegedly received in his personal accounts in 2014 and 2015.

The money, witnesses testified, originated from RM4 billion in loans funnelled to SRC International from Retirement Fund Inc, or KWAP, in 2011 and 2012.

Najib is represented by a dozen lawyers, led by Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Attorney-General Tommy Thomas is leading the prosecution, while justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali is presiding.

The Malaysian Insight brings you today’s proceedings live:

3.45pm: Judge Nazlan said that court will resume on Tuesday, May 14.

Court adjourns for the day.

3.40pm: Judge Nazlan allows the witness to leave the stand but to continue her cross examination when the trial resumes on Monday.

3.35pm: The witness says the RM4 billion paid out by KWAP was the biggest loan it had ever approved in the time she worked there.

She says that four investment panel papers and a special investment panel paper are lost and she only has copies of them.

She says she had looked for those documents but could not find them. When asked by the DPP if she could find them if given time, she says she would not be able to find them.

She confirms that the originals were lost.

When asked as to why the investment process was hastened, she says there was instruction given to hasten the loan process, but doesn’t say by who.

3.15pm: Azlida Mazni is also going through the panel’s process of approving the second RM2 billion loan which had the same loan terms as the first.

3pm: The witness is detailing the loan process which KWAP followed in giving SRC International the loan.

2.45pm: According to Azlida Mazni, the panel agreed that RM2 billion was too big an amount to give a company which had only had RM2 capital.

The panel also decided to consider the loan if it were made directly to 1MDB instead of SRC International because 1MDB had been wholly owned by MOF Inc as it had proper money management, discipline and was under the purview of MOF inc.

She says the panel was wary of the risks of giving the loan to SRC International. The panel also questioned the ability and qualifications of SRC International’s management in making investments.

The panel also noted that there was no urgency to give the money out in a lump sum. They proposed to give the money in stages.

She also reveals that all six panel members then voted in agreement to give the RM2 billion to SRC International.

2.40pm: Azlida Mazni says that on July 19, an investment paper, this time for RM2 billion, was brought for the panel’s consideration. SRC International requested the money for working capital and general investments, she says.

She says she was present at the meeting as the recording secretary and confirms that the then prime minister Najib had urged the KWAP chairman to hasten the loan process.

2.35pm: Azlida Mazni says that on July 5, an investment paper of RM1 billion was tabled before the investment panel.

She confirms that the panel had not approved the loan during that meeting on July 5 to obtain more specific information about SRC International and its functions.

She says the decision to do so was recorded in the meeting minutes and the meeting was chaired by Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah who was KWAP chairman at that time.

2.25pm: She says there are two ways that the KWAP investment panel makes a decision on loans. One way is by a meeting which is attended by all panel members. The second way is to send out a circular paper. If it’s by a meeting, they take a consensus, whereas if it’s by circular paper, the panel goes by majority vote.

She says the circular paper method was frequently used to approve loans from 2011 to 2013.

As for the RM4 billion loan to SRC International, she says the investment company had sent a letter which was received by KWAP on June 3, 2011 addressed to Najib. The letter was seeking RM3.95 billion for SRC International to carry out general investments.

2.05pm: The 35th witness takes the stand. Azlida Mazni Binti Arshad is the vice-president of KWAP’s legal and secretarial department.

Azlida Mazni reads the statement she prepared with the MACC. She reads about the how KWAP makes its investments and how it goes about making them.

1.55pm: Court resumes with V. Sithambaram saying WhatsApp messages have been going viral that Najib has been taking selfies in court.

Shafee points out a reporter from The Edge in court and says that he must have super powers to see that Najib is taking selfies in court, adding that these reports are not newsworthy.

Najib denied taking selfies and said he used the camera as a mirror, as he felt there was something sharp near his eye, says Shafie.

Sithambaram asked what the issue is if any photo was taken. Shafee says no picture was taken.

Judge Nazlan asks Najib directly whether he took a photo.

Najib answers that he used the camera for his personal appearance.

Nazlan said he accepts the explanation, but emphasises that all forms of recording and photos are forbidden in court. He adds that if these pictures were taken, it would be bordering on contempt.

Shafee says that any report should be to assist in the court proceedings, and urges the judge to warn reporters not to write these stories.

Nazlan says that journalists didn’t write the story with malice, as they may have thought that selfie was taken. He adds that the last thing he wants is for these issues to take away from the case at hand.

The judge orders the matter shut and calls for the next witness.

12.55pm: Court takes a 30-minute break.

12.53pm: Harvinderjit: Can you remember the first time you were called to MACC?

Amirah: Not sure if it was 2015 or 2016.

Harvinderjit ends his cross examination.

12.48pm: Amirah says the statements are the same. Harvinderjit asks how many times she and Ambalagam met with the MACC officers and if she saw Ambalagam’s statement before giving hers to MACC.

12.45pm: Harvinderjit notes discrepancies between her written statement and Ambalagam’s statement that were recorded by MACC.

Harvinderjit said the information in the statement is from her, but the wording is not. She reluctantly agrees.

12.43pm: Shafee and Najib dozed off in court during Harvinderjit’s cross examination.

12.40pm: In her statement, Amirah said the RM4 billion loan was the biggest given by KWAP.

Harvinderjit: Is this based from your memory?

Amirah: Yes

12.30pm: Harvinderjit asks how can she remember these transactions since she has retired.

She says when taking her statement, the MACC had shown her documents of the payment voucher approvals that she had signed.

12.28pm: Witness is being cross examined by Harvinderjit.

12.25pm: She says her role was not to question payments or loans made out by KWAP. She added these two loans given out to SRC International were the biggest ones approved in KWAP history.

12.22pm: She confirms that the money had gone from KWAP coffers to SRC International.

12.20pm: For the first loan of RM2 billion, she said she was on leave and did not sign the payment vouchers. She added Ambalagam had signed it as he had the power to do so.

For the second RM2 billion loan to SRC International in 2012, she said she had signed off on two payment vouchers of RM1 billion each.

12.15pm: The 34^th witness Amirah Mohd Noor takes the stand. She holds a PHD from University Teknologi Mara.

She was also the vice-president of KWAP investment support and services department but had retired in 2018. She said her statement was recorded by MACC.

12.10pm: Harvinderjit asks if the government would allocate RM1.5 billion to KWAP. Ambalagam says the amount may vary.

Witness is allowed to leave the stand.

12.05pm: Ambalagam said he is in charge of utilisation of loans. Harvinderjit asks him about a peculiarity of two documents known as a utilisation notice, the document needed to procure the RM2 billion loan. Harvinderjit notes that one document is dated and one is not.

Ambalagam said a payment instruction notice of the loan will be taken to an assistant vice-president for approval. He added on average, government allocation for KWAP is RM500 million.

12pm: Harvinderjit asks Ambalagam if his testimony is in his exact words. He says yes. Ambalagam also said he does not have the power to approve the loans.

11.58am: Harvinderjit begins cross examination. Ambalagam is being asked when he was first questioned by MACC.

He said he was questioned a year or two ago. He said he had given statements about two or three times. He also named MACC officer Rosli.

“The officers usually asked me what happened. I gave my views. They typed it down and gave it back to me. I verified them and signed it,” said Ambalagam.

11.53am: He said after the payment was approved, it was brought to the Rentas system for approval before the money was released to the recipient.

11.50am: He said he approved the RM2 billion payment voucher for SRC international’s loan from KWAP on August 29, 2011.

11.45am: The 33^rd witness, M. Ambalagam, is called to the stand. He works in the contributions department in KWAP.

He has been with KWAP since 2004. He was the director in the accounts and management services department in KWAP in 2011, with the authority to approve payment vouchers for KWAP.

11.45am: The court is back in session after a short break.

11.20am: Witness says she didn’t get a copy of instruction letter as the letter is sent to the headquarters in KL. She confirmed that the Rentas department will only receive “interface instructions” from the branch.

No further questions from Rahmat. Witness is released.

11.15am: In the cross examination, the witness confirms that on July 8, 2014 RM27 million from Permai Binaraya was transferred to AmPrivate account number ending with “880” that belongs to Najib.

Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin, who was following the trial earlier, is no longer seen in court.

11.11am: The DPP has no further questions. Cross-examination of the witness begins by Rahmat Hazlan for the defence.

11.02am: Noor Lina is confirming transactions based on single credit confirmation advice. The transactions confirmed so far:

– RM35 million from SRC International to Putra Perdana Construction on July 8, 2014,

– RM105 million from SRC International to Putra Perdana Construction on July 14, 2014,

– RM30 million from SRC International to Putra Perdana Construction on August 8, 2014,

– RM140 million from Putra Perdana Construction to SRC International on December 12, 2014,

– RM5 million from an AmPrivate account to Putra Perdana Construction on December 29, 2014,

– RM27 million from Permai Binaraya to an AmPrivate account on July 8, 2014,

– RM27 million from an AmPrivate account to Permai Binaraya on December 29, 2014; and,

– RM30 million from Permai Binaraya to SRC International on January 7, 2015.

10.56am: Noor Lina is verifying the “single credit completion advice” from Putra Perdana Construction to SRC International’s account.

10.51am: Noor Lina is questioned by deputy public prosecutor Sulaiman Koh.

10.46am: Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman follows the trial from the public gallery.

10.38am: The next witness to take the stand is Noor Lina Mahmud, section leader of Maybank’s treasury settlement. Her duty is to ensure Rentas, or Real-Time Electronic Transfer of Funds and Securities System, transactions are successful.

10.37am: Shafee says although the bank followed the instruction on the fund transfer, it was unnecessary to issue a cheque.

The process is called “layering”, the court hears. It means that instead of debiting funds directly from an account, the bank decided to issue a cheque.

Halijah says bankers should have advised the client to directly debit the amount, and not issue a cheque.

Shafee: Although you were not the officer in charge, unfortunately, you are here. So, there was no need to issue the cheque?

Halijah: By right.

There are no further questions from Shafee. The witness is released.

10.30am: Shafee questions why a cheque was issued for the RM30 million transaction. Halijah says clients can choose between direct debit and cheque issuance.

The lawyer says the cheque issuance was “unnecessary”.

10.24am: Shafee questions Halijah on another instruction letter received by fax, to debit RM30 million from Permai Binaraya (account no. 514012042754) and credit the amount to SRC International (account no. 2112022010650).

Witness confirms the letter, saying it was also signed by Lee and Rosman.

Shafee asks her if the format of the instruction letters was the same for Permai Binaraya and Putra Perdana Construction.

She confirms this.

10.22am: The court hears about an instruction letter, dated January 7, 2015, to transfer RM3 million from Putra Perdana Construction (account no. 014011327183) to Permai Binaraya (account no. 514012042754). The letter was received via fax. It was signed by Lee and Rosman.

10.19am: There is another instruction letter signed by the two, to transfer RM5 million from account no. 514012042754, belonging to Permai Binaraya, to Putra Perdana Development. The witness confirms this, and says the signatories “changed position”.

10.16am: Halijah confirms that Rosman and Lee were the signatories for an instruction letter to transfer funds from account no. 514012042754 to AmBank.

10.11am: Shafee asks Halijah if she can confirm whether instruction letters or any form of documents were signed by Rosman and Lee.

She says “yes” for Permai Binaraya and “I think, also” for Putra Perdana Construction.

She confirms that both Rosman and Lee were directors at Permai Binaraya, with Rosman also a director at Putra Perdana Construction.

10.08am: Halijah confirms to Shafee that the mentioned duo were signatories for both Permai Binaraya and Putra Perdana Construction.

9.58am: Shafee tells the witness that he wants to focus on these two names.

9.57am: Halijah says Rosman became a signatory for Putra Perdana Construction on May 2, 2012, and Lee on May 28, 2014.

9.52am: Halijah says she is not sure of the company’s signatories in 1998. She says there were six signatories for Kamunting Construction. 

9.51am: Shafee goes through Putra Perdana Constuction’s form. Halijah confirms that Putra Perdana Construction is formerly known as Kamunting Construction Sdn Bhd. The name was changed on September 17, 1998.

9.38am: Shafee goes through the account-opening form of Permai Binaraya. Halijah confirms that the bank received a letter on July 1, 2014 from Permai Binaraya, and the account was opened on July 2, 2014. There were two signatories – Rosman Abdullah and Jerome Lee Tak Loong.

9.32am: The SRC International trial resumes. Halijah takes the stand.

Shafee asks whether she brought the documents requested. She says “yes”.

Shafee goes through them.

9.14am: Judge Nazlan says he wants to fix dates for the IPIC case. Shafee asks him not to fix dates until at least September, as the 1Malaysia Development Bhd and SRC International trials will not wrap up till August. The lawyer proposes a postponement of dates to hear the IPIC case.

The parties will return on Monday to decide on the matter. The prosecution and defence need to confer with judge Colin Sequerah and others before they can finalise the dates before judge Nazlan.

Nazlan says the IPIC trial will most probably start this December or in January next year.

9.13am: The court is in session, with Irwan and Najib in the dock.

The prosecution is seeking to vacate the July 8 date of the Najib-Irwan trial to accommodate the SRC International trial, saying “it would not promote judicial efficiency to start the IPIC case when (the) SRC International (case) is ongoing”, referring to Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company.

9.02am: Former Treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah takes a seat next to Najib. Judge Nazlan will hear the case mention for the two, who were jointly charged with six counts of CBT involving RM6.6 billion in government funds between December 16, 2016 and December 18, 2017, before the ex-prime minister’s SRC International trial continues.

8.58am: Najib enters the courtroom. He is conferring with his aide.