‘RM42 MILLION TRANSFERRED INTO NAJIB’S ACCOUNT’
I wouldn’t have transferred money if I had known it was ex-PM’s account, says IPSB’s MD
AKEY witness yesterday revealed how Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB), the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) company set up for social welfare work, ended up transferring RM42 million into Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal account.
IPSB managing director Datuk Dr Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman said he would not have transferred the money if he had known that it was the former prime minister’s personal account as the money was meant for corporate social
responsibility (CSR) programmes.
He said IPSB was set up in 2011 and allocated RM40 million annually to undertake CSR work.
He said RM20 million of the sum was contributed by 1MDB and another RM20 million by Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M).
Shamsul Anwar said the money was supposed to be used for CSR programmes in areas won by Umno and Barisan Nasional component parties.
“The CSR programmes were planned by IPSB but the target groups were chosen by BN members of parliament or Umno division chiefs.
“IPSB will then prepare annual reports on what was carried out.”
He said among the CSR programmes carried out included sending imam and village chiefs to perform the haj, repairing dilapidated houses, boats and fishing nets besides providing aid to Orang Asli villages.
Shamsul Anwar, a medical doctor who has been actively involved in CSR work since returning from Belgium after obtaining his degree, said he was contacted by Najib to join 1MDB as an executive director some time between October 2010 and July 2011. He said 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrul Azral subsequently told him to form a company to carry out CSR work after explaining that 1MDB could not do so directly as it would be tantamount to conflict of interest. Shamsul Anwar said he located a shell company called Gem Horizon Sdn Bhd, which was renamed IPSB.
“I set up IPSB with RM2 and roped in Datuk Abdul Aziz Ismail as a partner. Both of us had one share of RM1 each in the company,” he said, adding that IPSB had 22 employees.
He said 1MDB and YR1M were the sole sources of funding for IPSB, but IPSB eventually became a CSR partner with SRC International Sdn Bhd in 2014.
He said RM40 million was transferred into IPSB’s account on Dec 24, 2014, RM5 million on Feb 5, 2015 and another RM5 million on Feb 6, 2015.
Shamsul Anwar said he did not know who transferred the money into IPSB’s account.
“However, before the RM40 million was credited into our account, Dennis See Thuan Buan, who is the director of projects at YR1M, came to see me and said IPSB’s account would be used as a transit for a certain amount of money.
“I asked him for details, but he did not give me any explanation.”
Shamsul Anwar said the money that was banked into IPSB’s account was eventually transferred into two AmPrivate Banking account numbers — 211202201880 and 2112022011906 — but he did not know who the account holders were.
He confirmed that the money was not meant for CSR programmes and that he would not have transferred the money if he had known that the accounts belonged to Najib.
“I also confirm that Najib never contacted me about the money after the cash was transferred into the accounts.”
Najib, 66, is facing seven counts of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering involving RM42 million of SRC International funds. He faces 20 years’ jail and fine for the offences.