“You just go away, he told me. I was in a dilemma.”
Witness says he was terrified when an ‘MACC man’ told him to go away
AFORMER director of SRC International Sdn Bhd yesterday revealed how he feared for his life, and had to flee to Bangkok and Abu Dhabi at the height of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.
Datuk Suboh Md Yassin, 68, said an anonymous person claiming to be from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) called him and told him to leave the country in 2015.
He said this happened after he had contacted MACC to make an appointment with it.
Suboh said he wanted to help in the MACC probe into SRC International affairs at that time.
However, he said, before he could go to the MACC office, someone claiming to be from the agency called and told him there was no need for him to do so.
“The man claimed that he was from MACC. He spoke in Malay but I could not recognise his voice. He just said, ‘Datuk, Datuk, no need to come… just go away’.”
Suboh said he was terrified after receiving the call.
Asked by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Ishak Mohd Yusoff why he had been spooked, Suboh said he was afraid because of what was going on at that time.
“I was afraid of what was happening. Najib (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) was in power at that time and he was the prime minister. I did not know what could have happened to me and my family.
“I decided to flee to Bangkok with my wife. We stayed there for one month.”
Suboh said he covered all costs of staying in Bangkok from his own pocket.
Ishak: Why were you afraid of the prime minister? Did he threaten you?
Suboh: At that time, Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil (the chief executive officer of SRC International) contacted me and told me the SRC International case involved Najib. “You just go away,” he told me. I was in a dilemma.
Ishak: You said someone called and told you that you shouldn’t go to MACC. Did you lodge a police report? Suboh: No. Ishak: Why not?
Suboh: Because the person who called me claimed he was from MACC. So I thought there was no need for me to lodge a police report.
Suboh described what happened to him when he was in Bangkok.
Suboh, who looked frail as he was recovering from heart surgery and a stroke, had everyone shocked with his testimony.
Those in the gallery turned to look at each other as he described his ordeal of having to escape from Malaysia and go into hiding in Bangkok.
Suboh said he met a man in Bangkok who gave him two tickets to Abu Dhabi.
However, he did not reveal who the man was.
“My wife and I flew to Abu Dhabi and we were taken to Rosewood Hotel upon arrival.
“We stayed there for one week. Everything from flight tickets to the accommodation had been arranged, but I don’t know who paid for it.”
He said he decided to return to Malaysia and took a flight home via Bangkok.
He said immediately after his return, Nik Faisal called him and advised him to leave the country.
However, Suboh said, he had made up his mind not to run any more. “I decided that I should stay and help MACC in the investigation.” Ishak: When did Nik Faisal make the call?
Suboh: If I am not mistaken, it was after the 14th General Election. Ishak: What did you tell him after he told you to leave the country? Suboh: I said I did not want to run any more.
Earlier, Suboh said he had warned the board of SRC International about how the company needed to do due diligence before it undertook projects, besides talking about compliance issues.
However, he said, this was often brushed aside by Nik Faisal, who would respond by saying, “it
will be taken care of”, and that everything had been agreed by the “higher ups”.
On who he meant by the “higher ups”, Suboh said it referred to Najib, who was the adviser emeritus of SRC International.
The trial will continue on July 1.
Najib, 66, is facing seven charges of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and moneylaundering involving RM42 million of SRC International funds.
The Pekan member of parliament was charged with committing the offences between Aug 17, 2011 and Feb 10, 2015.
He faces 20 years’ jail and a fine for the offences.