CONVICTED prime minister Najib Razak once owned two platinum credit cards with each having a limit of RM3 million, a prosecution witness told the High Court this afternoon.

Teoh Eng Leong, a former Ambank vice president at the credit card department informed Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah that the RM3 million limit was among the highest ever given by the bank.

Reading from his witness statement, Teoh the 35th witness in Najib’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial where he today revealed that Najib had spent almost RM100,000 for a hotel room in Rome, Italy back in 2011.

“There is one transaction made by Najib Razak using the MasterCard Platinum (P) with number 5289 4380 0003 8961 on 21.07.2011. Payment was made to The Westin Excelsior R Roma for a sum of RM98,013.63 (EUR 22,461.62). The total current balance for the month was RM98,013.63,” he read.

According to Teoh, Najib made several more payments using another card issued by Ambank, this time Visa at KLCC in August 2011.

“The transactions made by Najib were at Aigner-KLCC Kuala Lumpur August 21 for RM4,145 and Hugo Boss KLCC (two separate payments RM910.00 and RM880.00 respectively).”

“And on August 30, Najib received a Tax-free Refund from the United Kingdom of RM2,190.68,” he added.

Najib is facing four charges of using his position as then prime minister to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds, and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.

He is already serving a 12-year jail term after failing in his final appeal at the Federal Court in the SRC International case

Yeoh was later asked by deputy public prosecutor Deepa Nair Thevaharan on the average credit card limit given to an average customer. 

61 year old Yeoh who now works for Hong Leong Bank, told the court that the average limit is RM50,000.

Deepa: Is this (RM3 million) the highest limit given to a customer?

Yeoh: I believe this is one of the highest limits given by Ambank.

Deepa asked Yeoh the total spending for the cards as of October 2011, to which the witness said it was RM103,948.63.

According to Teoh, both credit cards were cancelled on March 11, 2015 and there was no outstanding balance on the cards.

When Yeoh was cross examined by defence counsel Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed on Ambank’s consideration to give the RM3mil credit card limit, Yeoh said the consideration was based on a customer’s income capacity.

Asked if a customer’s long-standing relationship with the bank could be a factor in such a credit card limit, Yeoh said it would depend if the customer has other facilities with the bank such as a loan account.

Wan Aizuddin then tried to imply that the card was misused by someone else asking if Yeoh had knowledge over who would use the card.

Yeoh said they had never received any complaint from the card holder, as such the card was never misused.

Aizuddin: In regard to a person who used the card, you would have no knowledge?

Yeoh: There was no dispute raised by the cardholder and if there was an issue, there would have been a complaint.”

Deepa then asked Yeoh if Ambank had ever received such a complaint from Najib but the witness reiterated that the bank never received any dispute on the transaction. – September 6, 2022.