KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): RM42mil from the account of Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd was transferred into two personal accounts belonging to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The Curve Affin Bank branch manager Noorhayati Mohd Yunus, 44, confirmed in the High Court that the transfers were based on Ihsan Perdana's Affin Bank statements for the period between Jan 1, 2014 and Dec 31, 2015.
“Three transfers from Ihsan Perdana's Affin account number 106180001108 were RM27mil and RM5mil on Dec 26, 2014, and RM10mil on Feb 10, 2015.
“I am referring to the remittance application and confirm that all the money were credited into two AmPrivate Banking 1MY and MY accounts with the numbers 2112022011880 and 2112022011906 (belonging to Najib),” she said.
She said this during her examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Sulaiman Kho Kheng Fuei on the 13th day of the trial on Monday (May 6).
Earlier when referred to Ihsan Perdana's business account application forms, the 30th witness confirmed that the authorised signatories for the accounts were Datuk Abdul Aziz Ismail, 67, and Datuk Dr Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman, 58.
Shamsul was present in court for the identification process by Noorhayati.
The witness also confirmed that Ihsan Perdana or Gem Horizon Sdn Bhd, as it was originally known, had three accounts in Affin Bank and two were still active to date.
“Gem Horizon Sdn Bhd's account was opened on Aug 5, 2011, while two other accounts under Ihsan Perdana, on Jan 5, 2012 and June 1, 2012.
“On Oct 24, 2011, Gem Horizon was changed to Ihsan Perdana. I confirm that Form 13 of the Companies Act 1965 (application to change the company's name) was received from Ihsan Perdana together with the company's application to open accounts in Affin Bank on Jan 5, 2015,” she said.
Ihsan Perdana handles SRC International's corporate social responsibility affairs.
Noorhayati told the court that a total of RM50mil was banked into the account of Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd in stages between 2014 and 2015.
“I refer to the account statement under the name Ihsan Perdana for the period between Jan 1, 2014 and Dec 31, 2015.
“I confirm that RM40mil was banked in on Dec 24, 2014; RM5mil on Feb 5, 2015 and RM5mil on Feb 6, 2015,” she said.
Under cross-examination by Najib's counsel Farhan Read, she said she did not know whether or not the money transferred from Gandingan Mentari to Ihsan Perdana's accounts were from SRC International.
Farhan Read: Do you know whether the source of the money was SRC International?
Noorhayati: I don't know.
Meanwhile, Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali allowed Najib's lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah's request for the trial on Tuesday (May 7) to start later than scheduled.
The lawyer said he had to appear before the Court of Appeal for the decision on Najib's appeal to disqualify former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram from leading the prosecution team in his 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) cases.
"We will come back here straight away after the case in the Court of Appeal," he said.
The prosecution did not object to Muhammad Shafee's request.
Najib, 66, faces three counts of criminal breach of trust, one charge of power abuse and three counts of money laundering involving SRC International's funds totalling RM42mil. - Bernama
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