KUALA LUMPUR: The US$620mil (RM2.53bil) returned to the sender by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was not rerouted to his bank account, the High Court heard.
Offshore asset recovery specialist Angela Barkhouse agreed with a suggestion by Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah that the funds were indeed returned to Tanore Finance Corp.
Barkhouse is the third witness in a US$5.6bil (RM2.9bil) lawsuit filed by 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and its four subsidiaries against Najib and six others.
During cross-examination yesterday, Muhammad Shafee asked the witness about the timeline of the funds’ return to Tanore, suggesting they were returned after the 13th General Election in 2013.
Barkhouse, however, could not confirm this.
Muhammad Shafee also suggested that Najib had returned the money believing that it was an “Arab donation”.
“Now, isn’t that consistent with his (Najib’s) claim that he believed the money was an Arab donation?” contended Muhammad Shafee.
Barkhouse said she was unable to comment on that.
Muhammad Shafee suggested to Barkhouse that she was aware of the return of the money to Tanore shortly after the general election in Malaysia had concluded.
Barkhouse responded that she was unsure of the date of the general election and was unable to comment on or confirm his contention.
On May 7, 2021, 1MDB and its subsidiaries 1MDB Energy Holdings Ltd, 1MDB Energy Ltd, 1MDB Energy (Langat) Ltd and Global Diversified Investment Company Ltd (formerly known as 1MDB Global Investments Ltd) filed the civil suit.
They named Najib, former 1MDB finance officer Terrence Geh Choh Heng, former executive director Casey Tang Keng Chee and former chief investment officer Vincent Beng Huat Koh, as defendants.
Also named as defendants were 1MDB former chief operations officer Radhi Mohamad, former investment director Kelvin Tan Kay Jim, and former SRC International Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil.
The plaintiffs claimed that the defendants had committed breaches of trust and fiduciary duties, abused their powers and conspired to misappropriate 1MDB’s funds.
The hearing before Judicial Commissioner Mohamad Redzuan Idrus continues today.
