A MALAYSIAN Anti-Corruption Commission officer obtained documents which purportedly show that a previous defence witness had lied about being at a crucial meeting in 2010 between Najib Razak and the late Saudi ruler King Abdullah Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.

At the SRC International trial, the prosecution obtained via the ninth defence witness MACC assistant commissioner Mohd Nasharudin Amir a Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) bulletin which allegedly showed then Islamic affairs minister Jamil Khir Baharom in Putrajaya on January 11, 2010.

The bulletin reported that Jamil Khir gave a speech before agency chiefs.

Jamil Khir previously testified that he was in Riyadh at the time for a meeting between Najib and the late King Abdullah. It was this meeting that Najib alleged that he was offered financial assistance by the Saudi ruler to ensure Malaysia remains a model Islamic country and to curb the spread of discord following the Arab spring protests.

Today, ad hoc prosecutor V. Sithambaram said the bulletin was verified by Jakim communications assistant director Mohd Nadzri Mustakim.

Lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah objected to the prosecution’s move to tender the bulletin as evidence, saying it remains hearsay unless the maker of the report can be brought to court to testify.

Presiding judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali then allowed for the document to be admitted as an identification document, and its veracity as evidence to be determined later.

Nasharudin also told the court he has yet to obtain documentation from MACC regarding Najib’s whereabouts on January 11, 2010 and is still awaiting feedback from another MACC officer on the matter.

Jamil Khir, a retired army maj-gen, previously testified he saw Najib and King Abdullah speak privately towards the end of the meeting.

The witness said he was made to understand that the donation from the Saudi royal family was channelled directly to Najib’s bank accounts to avoid complications.

“I was made to understand that this was to smoothen the political process for Najib and also because King Abdullah was concerned that channelling the donation into any political entity would complicate the way the fund is spent,” Jamil Khir said.

Najib faces seven criminal charges for having received RM42 million between December 2014 and February 2015. He has maintained that he was under the impression that money originated from Saudi royals.

Prosecutors said the alleged donation was, in fact, linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

The trial resumes tomorrow. – March 2, 2020.