THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was not able to obtain the original minutes of SRC International Sdn Bhd board meetings when investigations began in mid-2015 as one of its key figures, former director Terence Geh, had fled the country. 

Geh, 48, was also 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s finance director and an associate of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho.

Arrest warrants were issued for Geh, Low and three others in December.

MACC investigating officer Rosli Hussain told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that the anti-graft agency was only able to obtain copies of minutes of 2013 meetings, which were missing from secretarial books seized from SRC International on July 6, 2015.

“This is because Geh has run away and he could not be located. Therefore, I could not get the original copies,” Rosli said.

Former SRC International chairman Ismee Ismail previously testified that Geh had acted as company secretary in taking minutes of several board meetings.

Rosli said obtained the missing copies after he questioned Ismee in July 18, 2018.

“He told me he had a set (of photocopies) in his car. He handed over the set, which contained the 2013 SRC board meetings.”

The photocopies did not contain signatures.

Ismee had confirmed that the set was part of three secretarial books – two from SRC International and another from its subsidiary Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd.

The books contained original minutes of meetings from 2011 to 2015, directors’ circular resolutions and letters of appointments. 

SRC International drew media attention in 2014 after it failed to disclose its audited accounts the year prior.

Ismee previously told the court that former SRC International CEO Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil had misled the board by claiming the accounts were audited and that it should pass a resolution approving them.

Ismee added he had contracted the services of Deloitte, SRC International’s external auditor, to audit the accounts and close them.

He said the unaudited accounts as well as the alleged mismanagement of the entity was one of the reasons he resigned in May 2014.

SRC International, formed in January 2011, was a subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) until ownership was transferred to Minister of Finance Inc in February 2012.

Geh was charged in absentia in December, under Section 409 of the Penal Code, for criminal breach of trust in relation to 1MDB property worth US$125 million (RM523 million).

If convicted, he may be jailed up to 20 years, whipped and fined.

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

The 66-year-old faces three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power. If convicted, he may be jailed up to 20 years.  – August 9, 2019.