FUGITIVE businessman Low Taek Jho, with the help of an associate and an AmBank manager, had scrambled to prevent a RM5 million cheque issued to Umno from bouncing at the end of 2014.

Former AmBank relationship manager Joanna Yu told the court during cross-examination today that she discovered on the morning of September 10 – a Wednesday – that there was only RM1.2 million in Najib’s current account ending 906.

However, a RM5 million cheque had been issued for the political party, she said at Najib Razak’s corruption trial involving SRC International Sdn Bhd today.

Yu said she sent a message to Low’s secretary, Josie, that there was a RM3.8 million shortfall that needed to be resolved by 3pm to avoid the cheque from being dishonoured.

According to BlackBerry chat logs read out by defence counsel Harvinderjit Singh, Josie said she did not have access to that amount of money.

Yu said she had texted Low many times that morning and that he was not contactable.

Yu also said there was not enough money in all three current accounts.

When Low responded that afternoon, he told Yu he was on a plane and asked her what account he should wire the funds to. He told her that Putra Perdana will issue the sum.

The Penang-born businessman, then 33, said “Datuk will reply”. Harvinderjit suggested that “Datuk” referred to Rosmah Mansor, to which Yu agreed.

Low told Yu to instruct Jerome Lee, a director from SRC International, not to transfer RM5 million from Putra Perdana but to do it via its Maybank accounts. Lee was also Putra Perdana group CEO.

Low also instructed that Najib’s name should not appear in the transaction.

Lee then informed Yu that he was looking for the funds and was under the impression that they needed RM4 million in the account. Lee told her that he had RM3 million and was looking for another RM1 million.

Yu told him that it was RM5 million needed, to which Lee replied: “Aiyo”.

At 4.50pm, Lee transferred RM5 million into Putra Perdana’s Alliance bank account.

Yu also confirmed that cheques were routinely issued despite the lack of funds in Najib’s current account.

By early 2015, Yu told Low to inform Najib to stop issuing cheques as red flags were raised by then AmBank group managing director Ashok Ramamurthy.

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

The 66-year-old was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power. – July 31, 2019.