KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (PUTRA) president Datuk Ibrahim Ali told the High Court, today, that he genuinely believed that the RM600,000 cheque he received from Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was the former prime minister’s personal funds, and not from a subsidiary of SRC International Sdn Bhd.
Ibrahim, 74, said that Najib issued the cheque to him in May 2015, and at that time, he was unaware of its financial source. He did not question the cheque’s origin, given that Najib was both the Prime Minister and UMNO president at the time.
“After losing in the 13th General Election (GE13) in 2013, I kept quiet, feeling disappointed, as I had spent a significant amount of my own money while serving as an independent Member of Parliament (MP) after GE12, and during my independent candidacy in GE13,” he said.
“Nearly two years later, I requested a meeting with Datuk Seri Najib, which was scheduled for May 4, 2015, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya. During the meeting, I conveyed to him my sacrifices and my decision to become a Barisan Nasional (BN)-friendly MP after my victory in GE12,” he added.
The fourth SRC witness said this when being cross-examined by lawyer Mohamed Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman, who represents UMNO, in the trial of the lawsuit filed by SRC and its two subsidiaries - Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd and Jendela Pinggiran Sdn Bhd - against UMNO and Selangor UMNO, in May 2021.
According to Ibrahim, during the meeting, he informed Najib that, while he had received assistance for small projects from the federal government, he (Ibrahim) had also personally covered the costs of various programmes and activities in the Pasir Mas Parliamentary constituency. These included education, welfare, flood assistance, and the implementation of various infrastructure projects.
“Similarly, during the GE13 campaign, I faced financial challenges, and had to use a credit card to fund welfare programmes for the people,” Ibrahim said.
He went on to explain that, after listening to his concerns, Najib expressed sympathy for the burden Ibrahim was carrying, and remarked, “I will help as much as I can.”
Ibrahim continued, “He (Najib) then issued a cheque for RM600,000 in my name. I considered this as a contribution from the Prime Minister to reimburse the expenses I had incurred, and to settle my debts.” Ibrahim further added that he only learned about the source of the funds around 2021, through a report by The Edge.
Mohamed Shahrul Fazli: Datuk, now that you know the money is illicit and belongs to SRC, would Datuk be willing to return it to SRC?
Ibrahim: How can I return it? I’ve already used the money. At that time, I believed the funds came directly from Najib.
“Datuk Seri Najib was not honest with me; he gave me the impression that the cheque came from his personal account or from UMNO funds and that he had full authority to issue the cheque.
“He deliberately issued a cheque to me from an account designated for CSR purposes illegally, knowing or should have known that the money was not intended for such purposes,” he said, adding that Najib was aware he had committed a breach of trust by misappropriating RM600,000 from the company.
In the lawsuit against UMNO, the plaintiffs are seeking RM16 million, which they claim was wrongfully transferred to the political party, asserting that UMNO had no basis to receive the funds.
The second lawsuit involves a claim for RM3.5 million against Selangor UMNO, which is also alleged to have received the funds.
The trial before Judge Datuk Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan resumes on April 7.
