KUALA LUMPUR: A former director of SRC International Sdn Bhd told the High Court that he only found out monies originating from the company went into Datuk Seri Najib Razak's personal bank account after he was sued over the matter.
Datuk Mohammed Azhar Osman Khairuddin, 70, testified that his knowledge of the disbursement into Najib's account was based on the cause papers of a lawsuit filed by SRC and its subsidiary Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd for a claim of monetary losses against Najib and several other former directors of the company.
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"I only came to know about the receipt of monies by Najib, which is RM42mil, when I was added as a defendant in a legal action (known as Suit 336) at the High Court," he said in his witness statement on Monday (March 2).
Azhar, who was a director at SRC between July 2014 and February 2017, was testifying in a lawsuit by SRC and Gandingan Mentari against Najib over allegations of breach of fiduciary duties.
According to the witness, the RM42mil disbursement into Najib's account between December 2014 and February 2015 was part of the amount claimed in Suit 336.
Azhar denied authorising the transfer or playing a part in it as he was not the signatory to the cheques, which amounted to RM42mil, deposited in Najib's account.
Despite the events taking place during his tenure, Azhar said they happened outside of his personal knowledge and that he was not involved.
"Therefore, I cannot be in breach of statutory and fiduciary duties for matters that are not within my personal knowledge," he said.
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Azhar said his role when joining SRC was to execute and get the Sabah Gas Pipeline Project and the Peninsular Pipeline Project up and running.
In the suit filed in 2021, SRC International and its subsidiary, Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd, are seeking a declaration that Najib is liable to them for the receipt of RM42mil, among others.
The former prime minister is also being sued for breach of fiduciary duties, knowing receipt of the funds, dishonest assistance, tort of misfeasance and abuse of power.
The hearing before Justice Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan continues on Tuesday (March 3).
