KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — A former senior officer at the Finance Ministry today abruptly told the High Court that she had not personally drafted her own witness statement for her testimony against former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in his 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial.
Datuk Siti Zauyah Mohd Desa, a former deputy secretary-general (policy) of the Finance Ministry, who will turn 63 later this year, was testifying as the 26th witness for the prosecution when she made the shocking remarks.
When asked by Najib's lead defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah if she had drafted her witness statement herself, Siti Zauyah said "no".
Siti Zauyah instead said it was officers in the Finance Ministry who had drafted the witness statement for her.
Asked by Shafee if she had agreed to the witness statement after reading it or if it was within her own personal knowledge, Siti Zauyah said: "I was only given it at the last minute. I don't have the privilege of reading everything."
Asked whether everything stated in the witness statement was correct within her knowledge, Siti Zauyah replied: "I do not know whether it is within my knowledge."
Pressed further on the witness statement which she had sworn under oath to be true, Siti Zauyah said: "I mean this was drafted by my officers, but never in my presence, I was just given the documents."
Shafee remarked that it was good that Siti Zauyah was "telling the truth", and repeated her remark that she was not the one who had drafted it and did not have personal knowledge of the witness statement.
Shafee then went on to read the final page of Siti Zauyah's 40-page witness statement that was previously tendered in court as evidence, specifically reading the line where she said the witness statement is true based on her knowledge.
Shafee then said: "But in truth, the details that were put in your statement, you do not know the whole lot to be true, to be accurate from your personal knowledge?"
Siti Zauyah: "Ya."
Shafee then requested for a short break for him to confer with the prosecution regarding this new development. The court stood down at around 11.37am, with Najib then going to the room attached to the courtroom which was guarded by multiple prison officers.
The 1MDB trial before High Court judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah is set to resume this afternoon at 2.30pm.
Prior to asking Siti Zauyah if she had drafted her own witness statement, Shafee expressed his frustration at her inability to affirm her “textbook witness statement” in court.
“I don't know why this witness is being produced, because she gave a wonderful textbook witness statement and now she said everything she don't know.
“I think should withdraw this witness because completely not useful to us or prosecution,” Shafee said.
He then said he would confer with the prosecution, claiming the defence was “going nowhere” with Siti Zauyah as a witness.
Shafee added that it was the first time in his 46 years as a lawyer that he had encountered such a witness.
Siti Zauyah began her testimony in court on June 14 where she read from her lengthy written witness statement, completing it the next day.
She was first cross-examined by Shafee on June 20. Today is her fourth day in the witness stand.
Among other things, she testified that Najib had appointed himself as chairman to the 1MDB's board of advisers and that the finance minister did not have such direct involvement in other companies owned by the Finance Ministry's MoF Inc.
Najib's daughter Nooryana Najwa was seen arriving at the Kuala Lumpur court complex at 9.30am, and was seen entering the courtroom at 12.02pm and the attached room where Najib was at.
Najib's wife Datin Rosmah Mansor was seen arriving at the court complex at around 12.22pm and was seen outside the courtroom about two minutes later and is also believed to have entered the attached room.
