News by Timothy Achariam

Responding to questions from ad hoc prosecutor Datuk V Sithambaram, Najib testified today that he contacted Wan Abdul Aziz to tell him to issue a letter requesting KWAP to disburse the loan to the former unit of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) even before the cabinet had approved the government guarantee for the RM2 billion loan.

Najib, who was answering questions put forward to him by ad hoc prosecutor Datuk V Sithambaram, said the second government guarantee was approved by the cabinet and endorsed by him because he had an indication that SRC was making inroads into multiple renewable energy investments.

The trial began this morning by hearing from both the prosecution and the defence for the better part of three-and-a-half hours before the court adjourned for lunch.

Najib's counsel Harvinderjit Singh argued that the documents have yet to be conclusively determined and it is the onus of the prosecution to call an expert to verify the documents.

"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.