Najib did not lodge police report despite being shocked SRC funds went into his private account, witness says

KUALA LUMPUR (May 29): Despite knowing that a total of RM42 million had been transferred from Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd's (IPSB) Affin Bank accounts to Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s private account, the former premier did not request for the managing director of IPSB, Datuk Dr Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman (pictured) to lodge any reports with the police or Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Dr Shamsul, 58, who is currently the Sungai Siput UMNO Youth division chief, said after he was released from being remanded by MACC in 2015, he went to Najib’s Jalan Langgak Duta residence for a visit.

During their meeting, the former premier expressed shock upon learning that money was transferred into his private accounts from SRC, he said.

“He was shocked about someone putting money into his accounts. He did not even know who [transferred] the money, why it was done through my company (IPSB).

“He was very upset, and I apologised to him. The last company that transferred the money was my company. If only I had known the source of the funds,” Shamsul said this when cross-examined by Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

To recap, Dr Shamsul had previously testified that he was asked by Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia chief executive officer Ung Su Ling and project director Dennis See to transfer sums of RM27 million and RM5 million on Dec 26, 2014 and another RM10 million on Feb 10, 2015, to AmBank accounts ending 880 and 906.

The accounts belonged to Najib and were closed in 2015.

IPSB was the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of former 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd.

Dr Shamsul, who is the prosecution’s 37th witness, said the CSR programmes were actually Najib’s idea, as he genuinely wanted to help alleviate the misery of the rakyat.

“My conscience is clear,” Shamsul said, when he was asked whether there was even the slightest hint of dishonesty on his part when IPSB’s account was used as a transit account to transfer the RM42 million into Najib’s two private accounts.

Shafee: Was Najib’s reaction genuine?

Shamsul: He was genuinely shocked.

Dr Shamsul also admitted to Shafee that he was close to the former premier, whom he would meet four or five times a year and contact more frequently through the phone or WhatsApp messaging application.

When asked whether MACC had suggested to the witness that he had abetted in SRC’s alleged criminal breach of trust, the witness agreed.

However, during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Ishak Mohd Yusoff, Shamsul admitted that despite being shocked, Najib did not ask him to file any report with police or MACC.

Shamsul was released from the witness stand after re-examined by the prosecution.

Click here for more property stories.