Part of 1MDB loan went into Najib's account, analyst tells court

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KUALA LUMPUR: More than £9.45mil (RM51.57mil at the exchange rate then) of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) money was deposited into former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s private account in 2014, the High Court here heard.

Bank Negara Malaysia analyst Adam Ariff Mohd Roslan, 29, said the money came from foreign firms Blackrock Commodities (Global) Ltd and Vista Equity International Partners, companies controlled by Eric Tan Kim Loong, who is alleged to be an associate of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low.

The 47th prosecution witness said the money was deposited into Najib’s account, ending with "880”, between June 23 and Dec 17, 2014.

"Blackrock transferred £750,000 (RM4,093,500) on June 19, 2014, while Vista Equity transferred £8,706,021.92 (RM45,825,918.13) into the same account through five transactions,” he said in court on Thursday (Sept 21).

According to the prosecution's opening statement at the beginning of the trial in 2019, it contended that the said amount (£9.45mil) was originally from 1MDB through its subsidiary, 1MDB Energy Holdings Ltd, where it obtained two loans totalling US$1.225bil from Deutsche Bank Singapore.

Adam Ariff also said Najib’s "880” account had RM100,000 before the transferred £750,000 came in.

The witness said this when verifying the money trail report at Najib’s trial involving the alleged misappropriation of RM2.3bil of 1MDB funds.

The former prime minister, 70, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3bil belonging to 1MDB and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.

The trial before Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues on Oct 9. – Bernama