WITH his time on the witness stand coming to a close, the former prime minister maintained his innocence, saying it would have been foolish of him to order his cronies to channel RM42 million in public funds into his personal bank accounts.

At the SRC International trial earlier this week, the former prime minister denied once more the charges against him – that cronies acted on his behalf to remit millions into his personal bank accounts between December 2014 and February 2015.

“If I had a criminal mind to cheat, I would have been the stupidest person in this country to have done this in this manner,” Najib testified.

The 66-year-old had been on the witness stand for 16 hearing dates since December 3, last year. His charges are linked to RM4 billion in loans issued to SRC International in 2011 and 2012.

Najib had described the charges against him as “preposterous”, as it implied he waited three years to receive gratification.

“No one waits for three years to receive (gratification),” he said.

Najib maintained he was manipulated by Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, saying the Penang-born businessman worked with others, including former AmBank officers and former relationship manager Joanna Yu, to defraud SRC International.

He further testified he was glad to have had access RM2.6 billion donation from the Saudi royal family as it meant he did not have to be indebted to corporate donors to finance Barisan Nasional’s 2013 election campaign.

The Pekan MP said the money gave him “a sense of relief”.

“As Umno president, I wanted a source of income that would make me independent of donors, that would mean I would not have an IOU with anyone,” he said.

Najib said it was his prerogative on how to spend the money, which he said came from the late Saudi ruler King Abdullah Abdul Aziz Al-Saud through various channels.

New defence witnesses

After Najib concluded his testimony, his legal team called on the second defence witness Krystle Yap, who testified on Yu’s alleged close relationship with Low and former SRC International CEO Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil.

Najib also blamed Nik Faisal for misleading him. Both Nik Faisal and Low are on currently on the run. 

Also called to the stand was former Treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, who was once chairman of 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

Irwan claimed trial along with Najib on October 25, 2018, to six counts of criminal breach of trust involving over RM6.6 billion of government funds involving Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund International Petroleum Investment Company. The case has yet to go to trial.

During the trial last week, Irwan appeared to distance himself from the decision making process within SRC International that led to the criminal charges against Najib.

He maintained he had little knowledge of the process to approve RM4 billion in loans from Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP) or of the events that led up to the RM42 million being remitted into Najib’s account.

He did, however, say that it was not the norm for government loan application approvals to take less than a month.

Prosecution witnesses, including seniors at KWAP, previously testified they were pressured to rush through the loans to SRC International Sdn Bhd in 2011 and 2012.

Najib faces up to 20 years’ jail upon conviction. He is represented by a dozen lawyers led by Muhammad Shafee Abdullah. Attorney-General Tommy Thomas leads the prosecution.

Trial before Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali resumes tomorrow. – February 9, 2020.