RM42m moved from Ihsan Perdana into Najib bank accounts under ‘CSR programmes’, firm’s ex-executive says in SRC trial

KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 — Three fund transfers totalling RM42 million from Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB) into Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal bank accounts between December 2014 and February 2015 were recorded as “funds for CSR programmes”, the High Court was told today.

The 36th prosecution witness and former Ihsan Perdana senior account executive Aishah Ghazali testified that the company made the cash transfers in three tranches of RM27 million and RM5 million on December 26, 2014 and RM10 million on February 10, 2015 into two AmPrivate Banking-MY accounts (2112022011-880 and 2112022011-906).

“I was asked to prepare remittance forms by IPSB managing director Datuk Dr Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman for the purpose of fund transfers.

“The purpose of the transfer is recorded as CSR programmes like what I usually note down” she said.

After she had prepared remittance form copies for all three transfers in December 2014 and February 2015, IPSB’s authorised signatories — Dr Shamsul Anwar and IPSB finance director Datuk Abdul Aziz Ismail — then signed them.

Previously, the High Court was told that both account-880 and account-906 opened at AmBank Jalan Raja Chulan branch were registered under Najib.

Although she did not mention Najib’s name, Ambank Raja Chulan branch manager R Uma Devi and Noorhayati Mohd Yunus, the branch manager of Affin Bank at the Curve Shopping Complex, previously testified the two bank accounts belonged to the former prime minister.

Aishah said IPSB had been appointed to conduct corporate social responsibility programmes for Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M), of which the latter had given a sum of money for IPSB to organise CSR programmes as instructed.

She did not disclose the sum provided by YR1M.

Aishah said Dr Shamsul Anwar had instructed her to proceed with the fund transfers after receiving the account details for the intended recipients from one Miss Ung Su Ling, a YR1M representative she was acquainted with.

“All three transfers to the intended recipient’s account in AmIslamic Bank Berhad were made under the orders of Datuk Shamsul.

“I was made to understand the purpose of the fund transfers were for CSR purposes,” she added.

She also said that she was instructed to inquire with Affin Bank as to the identities of the holders of both accounts by Dr Shamsul Anwar, but the bank was unable to process her queries.

It was revealed earlier during the trial that Najib had issued cheques amounting to over RM7.2 million (or RM7,276,514) to 14 recipients from his account-906 between January and February 2015.

The cheques were issued for purposes such as funding for Barisan Nasional political parties, the promotion of Najib’s 1Malaysia campaign, monitoring the local Chinese community’s sentiments, a welfare home and for expenses such as water tanks.

Najib is currently on trial over seven charges, including money laundering and criminal breach of trust of over RM42 million belonging to former 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd.

Today marks Day 18 of the trial.