KUALA LUMPUR: The Saudi Arabian royal family has never issued an official statement to deny that the funds channeled into Datuk Seri Najib Razak's personal bank account were not a donation, the High Court was told on Friday (Dec 13).
Najib, 71, testified that the lack of denial from the royal family bolstered his belief that the funds he received were legitimate donations.
He said there were instances, such as allegations of Saudi involvement in the Sept 11 terrorist attack when classified documents were leaked in 2021, where Saudi Arabia issued official statements to address and refute claims although such statements often come from its government or embassies rather than from the royal household directly.
"In contrast, despite the intense scrutiny surrounding the funds I received and allegations questioning their legitimacy, there has been no official statement, neither from the Royal Household nor from the Saudi government, denying that these funds were a donation from His Majesty King Abdullah.
"This absence of denial, even in the face of such high-profile allegations, supports my genuine belief that the funds were legitimate donations.
"It is consistent with how governments or monarchies typically respond when claims are unfounded," he said in his witness statement here on Friday.
The former prime minister also said that his belief was further validated in 2016 by the then Saudi foreign minister, Adel Al-Jubair, who publicly confirmed that the funds were a donation from Saudi Arabia.
"What else could I have reasonably done to verify this further?" Najib said.
Najib said his belief was not based on mere assumption but supported by remittances which clearly stated that they were from the joint account of two Saudi Princes - Prince Faisal bin Turki bin Bandar Al Saud and Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - and the Ministry of Finance, Riyadh and companies which he believed believe were connected to either the Saudi Government or King Abdullah.
He also contended that the remittances in his AmIslamic account were supported by donation letters accompanying the funds, which clearly outlined its purpose and source.
"To this day, no one officially mandated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has refuted these facts, and I relied on all these elements in good faith," Najib said.
On Oct 30, Najib was ordered by the High Court to enter his defence on four counts of using his position to obtain RM2.28bil gratification from 1MDB's funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount.
The hearing continues before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah on Jan 6.
