RM3.8m went into Najib’s account to ensure RM5m cheque for Umno didn’t bounce

KUALA LUMPUR, 29 April -- Bekas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak ketika berada di Kompleks Mahkamah Kuala Lumpur hari ini bagi perbicaraan kes yang dihadapinya. Mahkamah Tinggi hari ini menolak permohonan Najib untuk mengetepikan tujuh pertuduhan terhadapnya berkaitan dana SRC International Sdn Bhd berjumlah RM42 juta. Najib, 66, menghadapi tiga pertuduhan pecah amanah jenayah, satu pertuduhan menyalahgunakan kedudukannya dan tiga pertuduhan terlibat dalam pengubahan wang haram melibatkan dana itu. --fotoBERNAMA (2019) HAK CIPTA TERPELIHARA?

by BERNAMA / pic by BERNAMA

THE High Court in Kuala Lumpur yesterday heard that a sum of RM5 million was transferred in September 2014 from Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd’s Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd’s account into Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak’s (picture) AmBank account to ensure a cheque issued to political party Umno did not bounce.

Former AmBank relationship manager, Joanna Yu, 48, revealed this during cross-examination by counsel Harvinderjit Singh on the 46th day of the former premier’s trial in relation to the misappropriation of RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd’s funds.

Harvinderjit read out the transcript of the conversation she had with fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, and former Putra Perdana Construction group CEO Jerome Lee on Sept 10, 2014.

The chat log revealed that Yu contacted Low on the morning of Sept 10, 2014, to inform him that a sum of RM3.8 million must be wired into Najib’s account by 3pm the same day.

The log also mentioned that the RM5 million cheque would have to be returned if he failed to do so.

Harvinderjit: Low then told you to contact Jerome to transfer funds into the account…you then communicated with Lee until a sum of RM5 million was transferred from Putra Perdana Construction’s Alliance Bank account into Najib’s account?

Yu: Yes.

According to the chat log, Low instructed Yu to inform Lee that the transfer of funds should not be made from Putra Perdana Construction’s AmBank account.

To another question, the witness also said that cheques were still issued from Najib’s account despite having insufficient funds.

“I told Low to notify the account holder not to issue any more cheques and also told him that the then AmBank group MD Ashok Ramamurthy had prevented cash deposits,” she said, adding that the cheques, however, were still issued.

Yu also confirmed a transfer of £5.75 million (RM28.9 million) into Najib’s AmBank account from a firm linked to Low, Vista Equity Partners Ltd, based in the Seychelles in 2014.

She said both transactions were noted as a ”gift” in the supporting documents provided to AmBank and the transactions did not trigger any red flag. — Bernama