THE Kuala Lumpur High Court today was told Najib Razak told authorities he opened an Ambank account to receive donations from Saudi Arabia.

Bukit Aman’s Anti-Money Laundering Criminal Investigation Division assistant director Foo Wei Min confirmed this when questioned by Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah at the ex-prime minister’s trial over the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds.

Shafee: My client told me he opened the account to receive Saudi donations. This was indicated to him when he met the late King Abdullah, that was the instruction he maintained throughout. Did he not mention that to you?

Foo: Yes.

Shafee: The account ending 694 that he said was opened to receive the donations, did in fact come from Saudi Arabia’s Riyad Bank?

Foo : Yes.

Shafee then asked the witness if he investigated the accounts statements for three funds – Cistenique Inv, Enterprise Emerging Markets Fund, and Devonshire Capital Growth Fund – which Foo claimed in his investigation had transferred US$1.59 billion (RM7.44 billion) from 1MDB Global Investment Ltd’s bond proceeds to Tanore Finance Corp.

Foo said he only glanced at the documents on funds given by a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) investigating officer.

Shafee: Does this mean you did not analyse the documents?

Foo: My perspective of investigation under the Anti-Money Laundering Act was merely that there was money coming into Tanore from these three funds.

Shafee: Did you meet anyone from these three funds to confirm your investigation? These statements of accounts came from overseas, did you obtain them through Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA)?

Foo: I never recorded any statement from anyone from these three funds. For the statements of accounts, I am not sure. The police don’t have any MLA, they must be from the MACC.

Najib, 70, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion belonging to 1MDB and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.

The trial before justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow. – Bernama, November 8, 2023.