NAJIB Razak continued to be personally responsible for his private AmIslamic bank accounts despite having appointed Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil as the authorised person with access to the accounts, the High Court heard this afternoon.

The prosecution’s 41st witness Joanna Yu, in addressing a question by lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram, said that Najib was liable for his accounts despite the mandate given to Nik Faisal.

She said she was in charge of communicating between the bank and the handler Nik Faisal or with Najib as the owner of the accounts.

Yu also clarified the role of Nik Faisal based on a mandate letter from Najib to Ambank authorising Nik Faisal as “authorised personnel” to manage on behalf of Najib for the accounts ending 880, 98 and 906.

“I would like to confirm that this mandate letter only allowed Nik Faisal the authority to direct the transfer of funds between the three current accounts of Najib. Nik Faisal had no authority and could not make any transaction to any third-party account, or make any cash withdrawals.

“All instructions relating to third-party payments and transfers, and also all cheques drawn from the three current accounts, could only be authorised with Najib’s signature,” she said.

Yu also recalled witnessing large amounts of foreign funds flowing into Najib’s accounts, in particular to accounts ending 694 and 880.

According to Yu, Nik Faisal had informed her that the funds were gifts and it was reported to Bank Negara Malaysia.

She also told the court that fugitive Low Taek Jho or Jho Low had told her sometime in 2011 that the then prime minister was keen to have an Ambank account.

“In relation to the opening of these accounts, I did not deal directly or meet with Najib himself.”

“For all matters relating to Najib accounts, I dealt with Jho Low, who was the one who informed me that Najib wanted to open personal accounts with the bank.”

“And later I dealt with Nik Faisal after receiving a mandate letter from Najib listing Nik Faisal as his representative with the bank regarding his personal bank accounts,” Yu testified.

Asked if she had ever met Najib, Yu replied, “In relation to the opening of these accounts, I did not deal directly or meet with Najib himself”.

On September 8, the High Court was told that Najib had appointed Nik Faisal as an authorised person with access to his personal bank accounts.

Prosecution witness R. Uma Devi, Ambank manager at the Jalan Raja Chulan branch, told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that Nik Faisal was Najib’s authorised person for his private Ambank accounts ending with 694, 481, 880, 898, and 906.

She said Najib had, in a letter in March 2011, informed the bank on the authorisation for Nik Faisal to access the account.

Yesterday, Cheah Tek Kuang, a former AmBank managing director, testified that it was Jho Low who introduced him to Najib.

Cheah said he went to Najib’s home to assist the Pekan MP in opening an AmBank account.  

Najib is standing trial for corruption involving RM2.28 billion in 1Malaysia Development Bhd funds. He faces 25 charges, four for abuse of power and 21 for money laundering, for offences committed between 2011 and 2013.

He is currently serving 12 years in Kajang Prison, having been convicted of misappropriating funds from SRC International. 

On the first day of trial, the prosecution said it would prove that RM2,282,937,678.41 or over RM2.28 billion of 1MDB funds had entered Najib’s personal bank accounts from the 1MDB scheme, including via companies allegedly linked to fugitive Jho Low’s associate Eric Tan Kim Loong. – October 13, 2022.