FORMER prime minister Najib Razak issued a cheque in 2013 through a middleman – with the aim of dodging social media criticism – to help fund two companies to generate support for the BN government, his senior aide testified at the high court today.

Former political secretary Wong Nai Chee told Kuala Lumpur High Court that Najib asked him to arrange a cheque where business tycoon Lim Soon Peng could channel RM246,000 in August 2013 to the two companies.

The cheque, signed by Najib, would be issued to Lim, who would then make back-to-back payments to the companies.

Wong, who worked with Najib from 2011 to 2018, told the court that Najib avoided issuing the cheque directly to Lim to avoid speculation.

“If we were to issue a personal cheque from the PM, we didn’t want that to be circulating on Facebook.

“We would rather do it through someone we trusted. We trusted Lim,” Wong testified.

Senior deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram asked Wong who he meant by “we”, to which the witness replied himself and Najib.

The companies that the money was channelled to were: Akademi Kewartawanan dan Informasi, which ran a Chinese weekly newsletter, and AD Network, which operated the “Ah Jib Gor” Facebook page.

Wong testified that Lim had no connections with the two companies but had great connections at grassroots level.

“Lim has direct contact with the Chinese civil society organisations at grassroots level.

“He can pass on information even to foster homes, old folks’ homes, temples and so on,” Wong said.

Wong said the publications were to provide “objective writing” and to “give a balanced view”.

Sri Ram: When you mean a more balanced view, what do you mean?

Wong: Yang Arif, prior to the 2013 election, we noticed the negative perception of the Chinese community towards government, so we thought it was timely to provide this more objective writing to provide a balanced view to the reader.

Sri Ram: What is balanced?

Wong: To not view everything in negative light… to help disseminate information on issues… such as Chinese education. A more balanced view.

Under cross-examination by lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Wong said Najib had contributed to the Chinese, in particular Chinese education.

“He has done so much for the Chinese community. When he was education minister in 1996, he took away the provision that allowed the education minister to close vernacular schools,” the witness said.

Shafee: Is Najib a person tolerant on race and religious matters? You found that so?

Wong: Yes. That’s why I worked for him.

Wong added that he was never prosecuted for money laundering and that nothing he did was for the personal benefit of Najib.

Najib faces 25 charges: four counts of abusing his position to gain for himself RM2.3 billion and a further 21 counts of money-laundering relating to the same amount.

The 66-year-old faces up to 20 years imprisonment if found guilty.

He is represented by a dozen lawyers led by Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Sri Ram, a former Federal Court judge, leads the prosecution, with Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah presiding. – August 29, 2019.