Accused of ‘storytelling’, MACC officer doesn’t back down

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer bit back at Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s lawyer after being accused of “telling stories” in court.

Investigating officer Rosli Hussain did not take kindly to being labelled a storyteller and immediately raised his voice at lawyer Harvinderjit Singh.

Rosli, the 57th prosecution witness, was giving a lengthy reply on what transpired when the agency recorded the statement of former director of SRC International Sdn Bhd Datuk Suboh Md Yassin.

He said MACC had recorded Suboh’s statement in Abu Dhabi in 2015, and again after the latter returned from Indonesia in 2018.

Rosli: When Suboh arrived in Malaysia on May 27, last year, he had asked for a secured accommodation at Pullman Hotel in Putrajaya. He had also asked for MACC’s help to bear the cost of his stay. We then received information that he was not well. We recorded his statement after he was brought in on a wheelchair.

Harvinderjit: According to the procedure, MACC cannot record a statement from a person who is unwell. Don’t give me these stories. Rosli: Tuan (sir), do you want to hear my explanation or not?

Harvinderjit: Wait tuan, don’t worry, you will have ample time to explain.

After the situation cooled, Harvinderjit continued with his cross-examination by asking the witness whether the commission was pressured to change Suboh’s statement, to which the officer firmly denied.

“We were not (pressured) at all. As an investigating officer, this case is my responsibility,” he said.

He added that MACC had recorded Suboh’s statement six times, the first one being in Abu Dhabi in 2015.

However, he said he doubted the statement as it was conducted in the presence of Suboh’s lawyer M. Selvam.

He said fugitive businessman Low Teck Jho, or Jho Low, was also being interviewed in another room at that time.

“I wanted an independent statement because he (Suboh) is a witness and not a suspect. I felt the need to have his statement recorded again once he is in Malaysia. I did this on my own initiative,” he said.

When asked about Low’s involvement in the case, Rosli said the former had no interest in it.

Rosli, who appeared irritated at this point, said Najib was the one who had interest in the case.

He gave similar answers to some other questions which were asked by Harvinderjit.

Harvinderjit: Overall, the misappropriation in the case was done by Jho Low and his allies? Rosli: I disagree.

Harvinderjit: I suggest that Najib was not involved in the withdrawals of the SRC International funds.

Rosli: Jho Low had no interest in this case. The one that had interest was Najib.

Trial continues today before High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.