KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak's former relationship manager told the court she "may have" taken RM55, 000 out of her own pocket to cover an overdraft in his account ending with the number 906 to avoid a cheque from bouncing.
Joanna Yu told the High Court that she could not get funds from fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, who is also known as Jho Low, who often told her to refer to his secretary Josie or his associate Kee Kok Thiam for funds when Najib's accounts were overdrawn.
She said the account ending 906 was overdrawn by RM55, 000, due to an RM80, 000 cheque issued without sufficient funds.
The witness was cross-examined by Najib's lawyer Harvinderjit Singh here on Wednesday (July 31).
Harvinderjit: This happened on Sept 29, 2014. You contacted Jho Low and told him the need for cash to be deposited in Najib's AmBank account.
Yu: Yes.
Harvinderjit: Jho then instructed you to get Kee to provide the funds, but was told that he was unavailable. He was in Malacca.
Yu: Yes.
Harvinder suggested that as Kee was unavailable, Jho had ordered Yu to contact Josie but the secretary was also away and could only deposit the funds the following day.
The witness agreed with Harvinderjit that she then told Josie that she "may need to help fund first" if she could not get the necessary funds before the 4.30pm cut-off time.
Harvinderjit: Again I suggest the RM55, 000, it came from you. And Josie paid you back the next day?
Yu: It may have been (the case).
Najib, 66, is facing three counts of criminal breach of trust, one count of abusing his position and three counts of money laundering amounting to RM42mil in SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.
The hearing is ongoing before Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.
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