MACC OFFICER GRILLED FOR WITHHOLDING MLA EVIDENCE

Shafee asks probing questions on witness testimony regarding 23 documents from Switzerland with allegedly conflicting dates

DATUK Seri Najib Razak’s defence team yesterday launched a relentless barrage of probing questions at Nur Aida Arifin — the investigating officer for the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case — and demanded answers for her decision to withhold evidence obtained through mutual legal assistance (MLA).

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) senior officer, when testifying as the 49th prosecution witness admitted that several documents that she received through MLA from Singapore, Hong Kong and Switzerland were not handed over because they were deemed irrelevant to her investigation.

Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, then unleashed a barrage of questions during a cross-examination, demanding to know why she decided to withhold the documents from him, regardless of their relevance.

The senior lawyer also questioned the witness’s testimony regarding 23 documents obtained from Switzerland, which were alleged to have conflicting dates.

In response, the 37-year-old witness said she had briefed the prosecution team and they had agreed that it was irrelevant to the 1MDB case involving the former prime minister.

Earlier, Nur Aida said she received documents from Switzerland six times since Jan 28, 2019, in the form of compact discs.

However, when Shafee referred the witness to the said documents, it was found that the dates indicated were in March 2019.

Shafee, all this while, had objected to Nur Aida’s testimony, arguing that most of it was hearsay.

On Feb 16, he said MACC only received documents under the MLA after Najib was charged in 2018.

Shafee also delved into the procedure of how the evidence was gathered, asserting that it did not adhere to the typical procedure, to which the witness agreed.

Najib is standing trial on 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering involving 1MDB funds amounting to RM2.28 billion deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

The hearing before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.

PIC BY ASWADI ALIAS Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission senior officer Nur Aida Arifin (centre) testified in court that several documents received through mutual legal assistance were not handed over to Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s defence team as they were deemed irrelevant.