RM42 mln deposited into Najib's accounts – witness

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here was told yesterday that three transactions for the deposit of RM42 million from Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB) were made into two AmIslamic Bank Berhad accounts belonging to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Former IPSB senior account executive Aishah Ghazali, 37, said the money was transferred into the former prime minister's accounts for purpose of carrying out corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes.

Aishah, who is now an accounts manager at Redtech Offshore Sdn Bhd, reading out her witness statement, said she had prepared three remittance forms as instructed by IPSB managing director Datuk Dr Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman to transfer the company funds.

"I refer to remittance form dated Dec 26, 2014 for Affin Bank to transfer RM27 million from IPSB account number 10-618-000110-8 to an account at Ambank with the number 211-202-201188-0 under the name Amprivate Banking-1MY.

"The purpose of the money transfer was stated as ‘CSR Program' as I had always done,” she said on the 18th day of Najib's trial for misappropriation of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds totaling RM42 million.

Aishah, who is the 36th witness, said there was also a form for the transfer of RM5 million from the same IPSB account to an account number 211-202-201190-6 under the name ‘AmPrivate Banking-MY' on Dec 26, 2014 and another form for transfer of RM10 million from the same IPSB account to an account number 211-202-201188-0 under the name ‘AmPrivate Banking-1MY' on Feb 9, 2015.

"Referring to the deposit of RM27 million, RM5 million and RM10 million, all totalling RM42 million, I confirmed that the money was sent from a IPSB account to two receiving accounts at AmIslamic Bank on the instruction of Dr Shamsul.

"I was made to understand that the money was transferred for CSR purpose,” she said and confirmed the other two remittance forms that were produced to her by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamaril.

Aishah also informed the court that all the remittance forms were signed by Dr Shamsul and IPSB finance director Datuk Abdul Aziz Ismail.

"After that I went to the Affin Bank branch at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara , to submit the remittance forms to be processed and was given back the customer copies.

“For all the three remittance forms that I prepared and sent to Affin Bank, I contacted the bank to get confirmation that the transfer process had been done.

“I confirm that Affin Bank did notify that three funds transfer process were done on Dec 26, 2014 and Feb 10, 2015,” she added.

Aishah also said that Dr Shamsul instructed her to make the money transfer based on information of the recipient account that was given by a representative of Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M), Ung Su Ling, to him (Dr Shamsul) through an email.

According to her, IPSB was appointed to carry out CSR programmes for YR1M as the programme financier and given funds to do so as instructed by YR1M.

Aishah, who was with IPSB for four years, also confirmed on the deposit of RM50 million made into a Affin Bank account number 10-618000110-8 belonging to IPSB, as stated in the Affin Bank account statement for the period between Jun 1, 2012 and June 30, 2018.

Last May 6, Affin Bank manager at The Curve, Noorhayati Mohd Yunus, 44, confirmed funds totaling RM42 million from IPSB account were transferred to two personal accounts belonging to Najib.

The 30th prosecution witness said funds of RM27 million and RM5 million were transferred on Dec 26, 2014, while RM10 million on Feb 10, 2015, from a Affin Bank account number 106180001108 belonging to IPSB into two AmPrivate Banking accounts, 1MY and MY, with account number 2112022011880 and 2112022011906, respectively, belonging to Najib.

Najib, 66, is facing three counts of criminal breach of trust, one charge of power abuse and three counts of money laundering involving SRC International Sdn Bhd's funds totalling RM42 million.

The hearing before judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali continues.