KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's AmIslamic Bank account had been used to issue a total of 38 cheques totalling RM8.4 million in just slightly over a years' time during the March 2011 to May 2012 period, a bank officer told the High Court here today.
Badrul Hisam Mohamad, senior manager of AmBank’s cheque processing centre, was testifying as the 36th prosecution witness in Najib's trial over the misappropriation of RM2.28 billion of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds.
He verified that all these cheques carried Najib's signature.
He had yesterday verified a total of 13 cheques totalling RM1,289,750 or over RM1.28 million issued during the March to August 2011 period.
The 13 cheques verified yesterday include a RM200,000 cheque to Pekan Umno, a RM30,000 cheque to Pekan Umno Wanita, and a RM200,000 cheque to Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah issued on June 28, 2011 and deposited on July 5, 2011 to a Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad account in Alor Setar, Kedah.
Today, Badrul Hisam further verified seven cheques issued from the same AmIslamic bank account owned by Najib during the August 2011 to November 2011 period, with the total sum being RM2,130,500 or RM2.13 million.
This includes a RM800,000 cheque to Selangor Umno which was issued on September 21 and deposited on September 29, 2011 at CIMB's Damansara Town Centre branch, and a RM1 million to Selangor Umno issued on November 30 and deposited on December 2, 2011 at CIMB's Jalan Tun Perak branch.
The other cheques are a RM30,000 sum to Khairuddin Mahmud issued on August 20 and deposited on September 5, 2011 at CIMB's Jalan Sultan Abdullah branch; and RM240,500 to Semarak Konsortium Satu Sdn Bhd issued on September 6, 2011 and deposited on September 9, 2011 at Maybank's Bukit Damansara branch.
The rest are a RM5,000 cheque to Zaleha Kamid issued on September 20 and deposited on September 27, 2011 at a Maybank branch in Kuantan, Pahang; a RM5,000 cheque to Norhayati Abdullah issued on September 20 and deposited on October 5, 2011 at a Maybank branch in Pekan, Pahang; and a RM50,000 cheque to Gading Emas Management Services issued on October 11 and deposited on October 13, 2011 at Bank Muamalat's Taman Melawati branch.
If all these 20 cheques from 2011 verified in court are tallied up, it would come up to a sum of RM3,420,250 or over RM3.4 million which were transferred from Najib's AmIslamic bank account to these recipients during this year.
Badrul Hisam also verified 18 cheques today that were issued from January 2012 to May 2012 that totalled RM4,985,600.
This includes RM100,000 each to former ministers Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam and Datuk Seri Richard Riot (who are politicians from Sabah and Sarawak respectively); and a total of RM32,600 to Najib's former political secretary Datuk Wong Nai Chee; a total of RM2.1 million to Selangor Umno; a total of RM140,000 to Pekan Umno; RM200,000 to Barisan Nasional's Bandar Tun Razak division; RM400,000 to Macang Umno; RM1 million to tycoon Tan Sri Lim Soon Peng; RM360,000 to KL Media House Sdn Bhd; and RM178,000 to Two One Holidays Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
The rest of the cheques issued in 2012 and verified in court today are a RM95,000 sum to Fanisa Consultancy And Services, a RM30,000 sum to Azmi Mohamad Noor, a RM50,000 sum to Ahmad Kamaruzaman Baria, a RM100,000 sum to Norizan Kasbi, and a RM100,000 sum to Ruslan Kassim.
When all 38 cheques are taken together, it would come up to the sum of RM8,405,850.
This RM8.4 million amount was successfully transferred out from Najib's AmIslamic Bank account (with the account number 211-202-200969-4) to all the cheque recipients.
Najib, who is now serving a 12-year sentence at the Kajang Prison for stealing RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd, turned up in the dock today dressed in a dark blue suit and wearing a magenta tie.
He could be heard clicking his pen repeatedly as Badrul Hisam was testifying.
His wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor who was also recently convicted of bribery in a separate case that she is currently appealing, was also present in the courtroom in the early part of today's trial.
During cross-examination today, Najib's lawyer Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed sought to highlight that all the 38 cheques were not used for stores selling luxury goods.
Wan Aizuddin: Most of these cheques, you agree with me, were issued to individuals and also mostly to political bodies like Pekan Umno, Umno Wanita and so on?
Badrul Hisam: Yes.
Wan Aizuddin: You also agree with me, in all the cheques shown to you, there is not a single one that was issued for the purposes of paying luxury boutiques like The Hour Glass and Tiffany & Co? Not a single one?
Badrul Hisam: Yes.
The Hour Glass is a shop selling luxury watches while Tiffany & Co is a luxury brand known mainly for its jewellery.
Najib's 1MDB trial before High Court judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah will resume tomorrow morning.
Najib will this afternoon attend another trial in the same Kuala Lumpur court complex, namely his trial over alleged abuse of power which resulted in information being taken out from the auditor-general's 2016 audit report on 1MDB.
MORE TO COME
