KUALA LUMPUR: A former Malaysian ambassador to Saudi Arabia told the High Court that he was informed by Datuk Seri Najib Razak about the purpose of the kingdom’s donation to Malaysia and not by the palace.
Datuk Prof Syed Omar Al-Saggaf, 76, said he was told by the former prime minister that the donation would be used for election purposes after the latter had a private meeting with the Saudi king in 2010.
The fourth witness in the defence trial of Najib, who is accused misappropriating RM42mil in SRC International Sdn Bhd funds, was ambassador to Saudi Arabia between 2008 and 2013 and also Malaysia’s permanent representative to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
He was being cross-examined by lead prosecutor Datuk V. Sithambaram yesterday.
Sithambaram: You said the money was for assisting the government in winning the 14th General Election so that the same government stays in power. Is this correct?
Syed Omar: I only know that King Abdullah (Abdulaziz Al-Saud) expressed his support. I don’t know what happened after that. Najib told me that the funds were to be used for the election, not the palace.
Sithambaram: So you did not hear King Abdullah say that the money was for the election?
Syed Omar: No.
Sithambaram: You personally did not hear what they said to each other (during the meeting) and you do not have personal knowledge that it was for the election?
Syed Omar: No.
Sithambaram: So whether this was true or not, you don’t know.
Syed Omar: I don’t know.
The witness also said he had no clue about the amount that was donated to Malaysia.
Sithambaram: Do you know how much donation was received by Malaysia from what was said to be King Abdullah’s donations?
Syed Omar: I don’t know. No idea.
Sithambaram: From your knowledge of the palace, the tradition of donation, do they expect you to return the donation?
Syed Omar: So far as I know, I don’t know about that. I’ve never heard of a return.
Sithambaram: You never heard of a donation being returned?
Syed Omar: Yes.
During re-examination by Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Syed Omar agreed with the suggestion that there were other people nearby when King Abdullah made known his intention to give a donation during the formal meeting in 2010. Shafee: There were Najib, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, the King and an interpreter. You didn’t hear them.
Syed Omar: Yes.
The witness said the Saudi King supported Malaysia as the King felt Malaysia had stability whereas even the kingdom faced disruptions due to different mazhab (Islamic schools of thought).
“I heard from the King himself that he supports Malaysia, ” he added.
Najib is facing seven charges – three for criminal breach of trust, one for abuse of power and three for money laundering involving SRC International funds totalling RM42mil.
The hearing continues before Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali today.
