KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) senior officer testified at the High Court yesterday that Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak (pix) as Finance Minister had an interest in SRC International Sdn Bhd’s affairs.
MACC senior assistant commissioner (Special Operations Division) Rosli Husain said the former prime minister who then also held the finance portfolio had the power to appoint individuals to important positions in SRC such as board director, secretary and auditor.
“Apart from that, he also had the power to decide on the company’s investments,” the investigating officer said during the re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Suhaimi Ibrahim on the 58th day of the prosecution’s case against Najib who is facing seven charges over SRC funds totalling RM42 million.
Rosli said Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil who was then SRC chief executive officer also misappropriated RM170 million.
Suhaimi: During the cross-examination, counsel suggested to you that businessman Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) was the one who misappropriated SRC funds but you replied, “If Nik Faisal, yes”. Can you explain why?
Rosli: I replied “If Nik Faisal, yes” because he was the one who transferred RM170 million from SRC’s account to construction company Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd without the approval of the SRC board of directors.
The witness also said the RM642 million donation that Najib received from Riyadh Finance Ministry and Prince Faisal Turki had nothing to do with SRC funds that were credited into the former premier’s personal account.
The 57th witness stressed that the said donation was used up in June 2014 while SRC’s funds entered Najib’s account in December 2014.
“MACC did not conduct further investigation on the two entities as it was not within my investigation scope. It involves the RM2.6 billion funds or 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) investigation and unconnected with SRC,“ he said.
Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali set Oct 22 to hear the prosecution and defence’s oral submissions. — Bernama
