(July 22): The SRC trial, which entered its 40th day last week, revealed a fresh link between Datuk Seri Najib Razak and fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho — also known as Jho Low — in the transfer of US$681 million ($927 million) allegedly belonging to 1Malaysia Development Bhd into the former premier’s bank account.
See: Joanna Yu and mystery witness scheduled to testify this week
However, there were more questions than answers on the extent of Low’s connection to individuals who helped Najib to receive the enormous sum as well as the RM42 million belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd in 2014 and 2015.
Former AmBank group managing director Cheah Tek Kuang told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that he visited Najib’s residence in Jalan Langgak Duta in January 2011, to help the former premier set up two bank accounts for him to “receive donations from Saudi Arabia”.
See: Jho Low was at Najib’s home when AmBank MD facilitated opening of ex-PM’s account
Cheah was instructed by then-AmBank chairman Tan Sri Azman Hashim to handle Najib’s request, which he said came from Low through AmBank relationship liaison manager Joanna Yu.
At Najib’s residence, Cheah was greeted by Low, whom he had met in 2009 over 1MDB’s dealings with AmBank. The Penang-born businessman introduced him to Najib.
“Datuk Seri Najib [Razak] and I proceeded to the guest room while I saw Jho Low waiting in a different part of the residence,” Cheah told the High Court.
He testified that he also briefed then-Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz, on Najib’s opening of the accounts with the bank.
The accounts — with the last three digits ending 694 and 461 — eventually received US$681 million in total in 2011 and 2013, of which US$620 million was returned to its source in August 2013, just before the two accounts were closed.
‘I detest Jho Low’
Cheah, the 50th prosecution witness, conceded in court that he knew of the US$681 million transferred through the account ending 694 from Joanna Yu, who was managing Najib’s accounts.
He denied having any direct dealings with Low, even though defence counsel Harvinderjit Singh raised messages from BlackBerry messenger (BBM) between Yu and a third person, whom he alleged was Low.
According to the BBM messages the third person had met Cheah at least once in 2013, and that Cheah and Yu received two iPhone 5s each as gifts from the third person.
Additionally, Yu told the third person that “Cheah misses you” while the third person informed her that “Cheah will speak to Azman and the governor”.
At one point, Yu had informed Cheah via a separate BBM chat that “Mr Low is coming to town”.
“What she (Yu) said to Jho Low, I don’t know. I don’t talk to Jho Low,” Cheah said. “I would say it (receiving two iPhone 5s as gifts) did not happen. I never collected the phones.”
He described Low as a “liar” who was “never punctual”.
“A liar lah, I don’t like him, I detest him. Cannot get close to that kind of person,” Cheah declared.
It is understood that the prosecution is attempting to demonstrate Najib’s close relationship to Low based on evidence provided by Cheah, and also to point to the closure of the two accounts, into which Najib claimed that an Arab royal had deposited the huge “donation” in 2013.
Testimony of other AmBank witnesses showed three bank accounts that were subsequently opened by Najib to receive the SRC funds over which he is being tried.
YR1M CEO Ung insists ‘our friend’ was not Jho Low
Low’s name cropped up during the cross-examination of prosecution witness Ung Su Ling, who instructed Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB) to transfer RM42 million in three tranches of RM27 million and RM5 million on Dec 26, 2014, and RM10 million on Feb 10, 2015, into Najib’s AmBank accounts — with the last three digits 880, 898 and 906 — that were set up in 2013.
Ung was the then CEO of Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M), which was a partner of IPSB. She testifi ed that she communicated with Yu via BBM and phone to confirm the details of the receiving accounts, and that she did not know that they belonged to Najib.
However, Ung was subsequently shown to have been involved in the closing of accounts ending 898 and 906 as she had informed Yu about the closure via BBM. “I have good news for you (Yu),” she said.
Harvinderjit maintained that the term “our friend” — used by Ung and Yu in their BBM conversation — referred to Low.
However, Ung denied the claim, insisting that it was YR1M’s practice not to address people by their names to protect their privacy.
“‘Our friend’ is to address a person [whom] you don’t want to name. [It is] not necessarily [Low],” she explained, adding that she was at times referring to her superior and Najib’s aide, the late Datuk Azlin Alias, who she claimed had instructed the transfer of RM42 million into the former premier’s bank account.
“I suggest you knew that all these instructions came from Jho Low...You don’t want to disclose the truth of the relationship with Jho Low, because you don’t want to get embroiled,” Harvinderjit concluded.
Earlier, Ung told the court that she had known Low through work since 2001. Sometime in 2004, she said she became “an executive of sorts” at The Wynton Group, which is Low’s family business.
Ung was appointed CEO at YR1M because her cousin Dennis See was a project director, and also conducted CSR (corporate social responsibility) projects for 1MDB. She was appointed in 2013 without a formal interview.
This story first appeared in The Edge Malaysia (Issue 1276, week of July 22) which is on sale this week.
Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) and its link to the RM42 million transferred
• Active January 2013 - May 2018
• A foundation mooted by Datuk Seri Najib Razak for youth development, education and to assist the unfortunate
• A partner to SRC International Sdn Bhd’s corporate social responsibility unit Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB) in the undertaking of CSR programmes funded by the foundation
Chairman:
Datuk Seri Najib Razak (accused)
Chief executive officer:
Ung Su Ling (49th prosecution witness)
Board of Trustees (unanimous approval needed for projects):
• Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak
• 1MDB chairman Tan Sri Lodin Wok Kamarudin
• Special officer in the PM’s Office Datuk Wan Ahmad Shihab Wan Ismail
• Chief private secretary to PM Datuk Azlin Alias (died 2015)
Funders:
• 1Malaysia Development Bhd: RM210 million
• Genting Group: RM230 million
• Petronas: RM3 million
How YR1M is involved:
Sept 2014: The late Azlin informed Ung that an undisclosed amount ‘for CSR purposes’ will be deposited into IPSB.
Dec 2014 & Feb 2015: Under Azlin’s instruction and with the approval of YR1M trustees, Ung instructed IPSB to transfer said funds totaling RM42 million into two AmBank accounts, namely 2110202-201188-0 (RM27 million and RM5 million) on Dec 26, 2014 and 211-202- 201190-6 (RM10 million) on Feb 10, 2015.
Ung claimed not to have known that the two accounts belonged to Najib, but according to testimony of earlier witnesses, the two accounts belonged to the former premier.
