KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 — Almost RM3.3 million was diverted from one of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s AmBank accounts to two Platinum credit cards, the High Court heard today during the former prime minister’s trial.
AmBank’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch manager R. Uma Devi confirmed various transactions involving five accounts that Najib had previously opened at AmBank, including the transfer of funds to the two credit card accounts that were also at AmBank.
Uma Devi verified a letter of instruction from SRC International Sdn Bhd’s chief investment officer Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil dated August 10, 2013 for the money transfers from one of Najib’s AmBank accounts to the credit card accounts.
“I verify this letter of instruction to AmBank to transfer RM3,282,734.16 from AmBank account 2112022011880 AmPrivate Banking 1-MY belonging to Datuk Seri Mohd Najib bin Haji Abdul Razak,” she told the court today.
She said the letter of instruction stated that the entire sum of almost RM3.3 million was to be split into two accounts, namely RM449,586.95 to a Visa Platinum credit card and the remaining RM2,833,147.21 to a Mastercard Platinum credit card.
Uma Devi did not say who the two credit cards belonged to.
She confirmed the sum of almost RM3.3 million was transferred out from that account held by Najib on August 13, 2013, based on a thermal receipt issued by a bank teller.
Earlier, Uma Devi revealed that Najib had previously issued letters of instruction to AmBank to authorise Nik Faisal to handle his accounts at AmBank.
Uma Devi is the 21st prosecution witness in Najib’s money-laundering and criminal breach of trust trial over RM42 million of funds from SRC, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
Najib was previously charged with money-laundering by receiving alleged illegal funds in two separate AmBank accounts, namely 2112022011880 (RM27 million on December 26, 2014 and RM10 million on February 10, 2015) and 2112022011906 (RM5 million on December 26, 2014).
At the start of the trial, Attorney General Tommy Thomas had, among other things, said that evidence would show that Najib's credit card was charged US$130,625 (RM539,176) for expenses made at exclusive fashion store Chanel in Honolulu in the US.
Thomas did not specify the account number for the alleged credit card transaction. It is unknown if it is related to the two credit cards mentioned above.
The trial before High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali resumes tomorrow.
The trial is set to run until May 10.
