KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — A former senior police officer told the High Court today that the order to raid an unoccupied unit at Pavilion Residences in May 2018 was prompted by closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing several boxes and bags being transported in vehicles bearing the official markings of the Prime Minister’s Department, just days after the 14th General Election.

Former Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Amar Singh said he was informed by a subordinate that CCTV footage from Tower A of Pavilion Residences, dated May 11, 2018, showed several individuals moving a trolley laden with orange-coloured boxes into a unit on Level 45.

He said the information was relayed to him by Senior Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Nordin Ismail — one of five team leaders appointed by him to conduct searches at premises belonging to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and his family members in connection with the 1MDB case.

“On May 17, 2018 at 1030am, Ahmad Nordin gave me further information after viewing the CCTV record that was given  to him by the Pavilion Residence Management and it was shown that two persons who are working as house   maids at the unit that he is currently conducting the search were seen together with some other persons carrying things into Unit B-45-02.

Thereafter, Amar said he instructed another subordinate of his, SAC Datuk Mohd Sakri Arifin to conduct a search at the aforementioned unit on the same day once a search warrant was obtained.

“Based on all the information that has been gathered on Unit B-45-02, there is reasonable suspicion that the said unit is being used by the ex-PM and credible information that boxes of items related to 1MDB case have been moved into the unit,” he said in his witness statement.

Amar, who led the federal CCID between October 2017 until December 2018, is testifying for the Royal Malaysia Police as a third party in a lawsuit filed by Lebanese firm Global Royalty Trading SAL (GRTS) against Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

Amar said he had later ordered the CCID’s cybercrime and multimedia division to conduct an in-dept analysis of the video recordings showing movements of bags and boxes into the unit after the police raid on May 17, 2018.

He said this was to determine when and how the bags and boxes were moved into Unit B-45-02, identify the individuals responsible for carrying the items into the unit, establish which vehicles were used to transport them and trace their point of origin.

“Investigations reveal that the bags and boxes were moved into Unit B-45-02 from the May 11, 2018 till the early hours of May 12, 2018  around 4am.

“All in 11 police personel, 8 army personel and 4 house helpers were responsible for the movement of the boxes and bags into Unit B-45-02 using the basement 2 Block B lift.

“The exhibits were moved from the residence at Jalan Duta to Pavillion using government vehicles and personal vehicles belonging to the above personnel,” he said in reference to Najib’s Langgak Duta residence.

He also said several trips were made transporting the bags and boxes into the unit.

Amar said two individuals entered the unit after the bags and boxes were moved in, one being a local air-conditioning contractor (on May 14) and another a Khazakhstani national (on May 16).

“The statements of these persons were all recorded except the Khazakhstani national since he had left the country on May 25, 2018 as soon as we found his details,” he said.

To a question from Rosmah’s lawyer Rajivan Nambiar whether the authorities had attempted to contact his client or Najib to be present at the unit during the raid, Amar said his subordinates did attempt but to no avail.

Separately, former Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (Intelligence and Operations) deputy director Datuk Mohd Sakri Arifin told the court that police found Unit B-45-02 locked upon arrival to conduct the raid after obtaining a search warrant.

He said a locksmith was later called in to unlock the unit, which was still under renovation.

“Its condition was messy and there was no electricity supply.

“In one of the rooms, I discovered several arranged luggage bags that were unlocked and zipped of which later contained various currencies and jewelry.

“In the next room, there were orange-coloured boxes filled with luxury bags arranged against the wall,” he said.

Sakri said he later contacted Amar to request his presence at the premises since the number of items seized were too many.

In the current suit, GRTS claims that of the 44 pieces of jewellery it had sent to Rosmah, only one (a diamond bracelet) had been recovered from the police following a raid conducted by the police in Pavilion Residences Kuala Lumpur and returned to the Lebanese firm in 2022.

Rosmah later brought in the Malaysian government as a third party in the suit due to her claim that the items could have been missing as a result of police seizure.

The trial before High Court judge Datuk Quay Chew Soon continues tomorrow.