"With humility, I wish to state that I do not need the RM2 million money for myself. Before I joined the Cabinet in 2001 upon the request of the then prime minister, I was a successful businessman. I was involved in various businesses, namely real estate, logging, manufacturing, trading, agricultural, hotel, livestock and food businesses."
Saadatul Nafisah described Arul Kanda as an intelligent man who took over the reins of 1MDB on Jan 5, 2015, and had "worked very well" with her.
"This is to avoid a situation where our client may be put in a compromised position when he takes the witness stand," counsel Datuk N Sivananthan told the High Court today.
Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan fixed the date today as deputy public prosecutor Zaki Asyraf Zubir had requested for the delay, because the notice of summons against Goldman Sachs (Singapore) is still in the process of being served.
Saadatul Nafisah Bashir Ahmad, the seventh prosecution witness in Najib and former 1MDB chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy's 1MDB audit tampering trial, testified that this was a direct instruction from the then Chief Secretary to the government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa on Najib's behalf.
This startling admission by Najib contradicts his earlier repeated assertions that he was only in contact with former SRC International Sdn Bhd managing director Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, and Datuk Azlin Alias — his deceased former private secretary, about the issuing of cheques.
Najib had previously testified that the gift was purchased for the wife of Qatar's ex-prime minister Sheikh Hamad Jassim Jaber Al Thani.
He told the press after his SRC International Sdn Bhd trial today that “it was normal” for him to discuss these things privately with his wife.
Rizal was earlier jointly charged with Najib's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in the corruption case.
"I will leave it to my lawyers. My lawyers will handle it."
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