Original minutes of meetings for 2013 unavailable because ex-SRC CEO fled, court told

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) senior assistant commissioner told the High Court here that he failed to get the original minutes of meetings of SRC International Sdn Bhd (SRC) for 2013 because its former chief executive officer Nik Faisal Ariff had fled overseas.

Rosli Husain, 54, from the MACC’s Special Operations Division, said this during the examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Ishak Mohd Yusoff on the 51st day of the trial of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over the alleged misappropriation of RM42mil in SRC funds.

The 57th prosecution witness said on Friday (Aug 9) that he had initially told former SRC board chairman Tan Sri Ismee Ismail, 54, to get the original minutes of the meetings.

"However, he also did not have the originals, the reason being that the minutes of the meetings were recorded by Terence Geh, a former SRC company director who had also fled overseas.

"I also contacted (SRC secretary) Chee Suwen but he told me he was no longer the SRC secretary. My efforts failed, and checks at SRC were also futile, ” said Rosli, who was the investigating officer when the case was investigated in 2015.

He said that on July 18, 2018, he obtained a copy of the minutes of the meetings from Ismee, who was at the MACC headquarters to give his statement.

"Before he went to the MACC headquarters, I told him to bring the minutes of the meetings that he had with him and when he arrived, he told me that a set of minutes of the meetings was in his car.

"I then told him to hand over the documents to me. And after checking, found his (Ismee) signature were not on the documents, ” he said, adding that he then asked his staff to make copies of the documents.

Rosli also told the court that five witnesses died during the investigation of the SRC case.

He said they were the then prime minister's principal private secretary Datuk Azlin Alias; former director-general of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) Datuk Noriah Ahmad; former Penang Umno liaison chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman; chief financial officer of the Retirement Fund Incorporated (KWAP), Ahmad Norhisham Hassan, and an individual known as Izzat Izairi Osman.

On the documents that were seized for the investigation since 2015, he said over 1, 000 documents were obtained from various quarters, including banks, KWAP, SRC, Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd, Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd and the Finance Ministry.

According to Rosli, the investigation, which began on July 6, 2015, was also assisted by other MACC officers, including from MACC branches in the states.

The investigation of the SRC case followed a report made on July 3, 2015 by MACC assistant commissioner Prem Raj.

Ishak: Prem Raj is from which department at MACC?

Rosli: Prem Raj is an officer from the forensic accounting division.

Ishak: Your investigation of the SRC case is pursuant to what Act?

Rosli: Investigations were made under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Illegal Activities Act 2001 and the Penal Code.

Asked whether Prem Raj had met him to submit the documents related to the SRC investigation on July 6, 2015, Rosli replied in the affirmative and that he handed over three "secretarial books” - two on SRC and the other owned by Gandingan Mentari.

"All the documents were for preliminary investigations. The SRC secretarial books contained the minutes of meetings of the shareholders and appointment letters, ” he added.

Najib, 66, is facing three counts of criminal breach of trust, one count of abusing his position and three counts of money laundering involving SRC funds amounting to RM42mil.

Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali is presiding over the case.