THE RM642 million transferred from Saudi Arabia’s Finance Ministry and a Prince Faisal Turki, had nothing to do with Najib Razak’s SRC International criminal charges, a lead case investigator told the court today.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission senior assistant commissioner (special operations) Rosli Husain said Najib’s alleged donations were “used up” by June 2014, whereas the SRC International money related to the trial was only transferred into Najib’s account in December that year.

“A check revealed that the money was used up by June 2014 and it had nothing to do with SRC International funds that entered Najib’s accounts,” Rosli said in the Kuala Lumpur High Court during a hearing on Najib’s charges related to SRC International. 

Rosli also said he did not conduct further investigations into the prince and the foreign entity as they were not under the scope of his investigation into SRC.

“They were involved in the RM2.6 billion or 1MDB investigations and had nothing to do with the SRC International case,” Rosli said when re-examined by deputy public prosecutor Suhaimi Ibrahim. 

Najib faces seven criminal charges for receiving RM42 million of SRC International funds in his personal bank accounts.

Defence lawyers have suggested that Najib may have been under the impression that the RM42 million were part of donations due to transactions amounting to hundreds of millions into other accounts a few years prior.

The defence had also suggested that Najib was not fully aware of transactions made under his name, and may have been misled by fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho.

Earlier today, when cross-examined by lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Rosli said he personally handed the investigation paper to the then attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali without going through the MACC-appointed deputy public prosecutor. 

The investigation paper, which was opened on July 6, 2015 was handed to Apandi on December 31, 2015 and was returned on January 18, 2016. 

Apandi later gave a press conference declaring that no criminal offence had been committed in relation to SRC International and an alleged donation from the Saudi royalty.

Najib’s 1MDB trial, where he faces 25 criminal charges in relation to RM2.3 billion in funds, begins tomorrow.

Rosli said an oversight committee in MACC had pressed Apandi several times to review his “no further action” decision on SRC International and 1MDB. 

Apandi had also been referred updated investigation papers three times between March, 2016 and July, 2017.

Another paper was submitted to the current attorney-general, Tommy Thomas, on June 12 last year. 

It was the MACC that proposed that Najib be charged with abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering, Rosli said. 

On why he previously said Najib was a central figure in the SRC International case and not Low Taek Jho, Rosli replied: “I said so because Najib is the individual who appointed the directors of SRC, appointed the company secretaries, the auditors and he also determined where the investments were made.”

Najib’s charges in the SRC International trial 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 was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power. He faces up to 20 years imprisonment if convicted. – August 27, 2019.