[UPDATED] Najib got RM1.25 mil in interest payments to his AmBank account in 2011: witness

KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak generated RM1.254 million in interest payments that were credited to his personal AmBank account in 2011 alone, the high court here heard today.

AmBank Jalan Raja Chulan branch manager R. Uma Devi, during examination-in-chief, said the payments were made in 11 tranches throughout the year to his account ending “9694” based on his account balance.

The account was set up on January 13, 2011, before being shut on August 30, 2013.

Interest payments were made at the end of each month beginning February 2011, according to Uma Devi in her witness statement.

“I confirm that there were interest payments credited for the year 2011. The amount differs based on the current balance each month,” she said before high court judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

Providing the breakdown of the payments, Uma Devi noted that the interests credited to Najib’s account each month beginning February were RM5,214, RM31,121.71, RM28,979.44, RM29,334.83, RM44,371.21, RM57,283.94, RM122,360.35, RM205,773.53, RM211,130.87, RM209,722.90 and RM308,621.92.

Deputy public prosecutor Mustafa Kunyalam later confirmed to the press the payment amounts after verifying the matter with the witness.

Previously on Thursday, Uma Devi had testified that based on Najib’s account statement, a total of RM60.63 million was transferred into his account on two separate transactions in 2011, with RM30,449,929.97 on Feb 24 and RM30,179,909.46 on June 14, 2011. 

She did not specify where the money came from. Still, the prosecution had contended during its opening statement in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd trial in August 2019 that the fund came from a botched joint venture between state investment arm and PetroSaudi International Ltd. 

Addressing the court today, Uma Devi elaborated how RM15.22 million were later transferred out of Najib’s account ending in “9694” through 71 separate transactions, to a number of beneficiaries throughout 2011. 

This is confirmed via cheque transactions that were recorded in Najib’s bank account statements, she said. 

Among the notable recipients of the funds were Umno’s Tun Razak division (RM200,000), the party’s Indera Mahkota division (RM200,000) Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur (RM395,782), Jakel Trading (RM3600,000 in two transactions), and former deputy transport minister Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi (RM100,000). 

Najib never questioned movements of money

When sought for clarification by lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram on whether Najib had ever alerted or complained to the bank’s management over the movements of large sums of money in his accounts up to 2018, Uma Devi responded in the negative. 

This is despite bank statements being issued to all account holders on a monthly basis, she noted. 

“To my knowledge, even in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case, there was no dispute or complaint over his accounts.”

She also confirmed that Najib did not file any legal proceedings against AmBank for the alleged mishandling of his accounts during this period. 

Uma Devi joined AmBank in 2012 before being transferred to the Jalan Raja Chulan branch in 2015, where Najib’s accounts were set up. 

Other than the account ending “9694”, Najib had opened four other AmBank accounts between January 2011 and July 2013. These accounts were closed between August 2013 and March 2015. 

Previously on August 19, 2022, during Najib’s SRC International case, ad hoc prosecutor V. Sithambaram had similarly submitted to the Federal Court that the former premier had never made any enquiries with AmBank about the crediting and debiting of huge funds in his personal accounts. 

Najib had only much later in 2019 filed a suit against AmBank and its former relationship manager Joanna Yu Ging Ping, alleging that his accounts were managed without his knowledge. 

He had claimed that the bank was negligent in handling his accounts by disclosing information to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, including the balances of funds, details of cheques, credit and debit remittance transactions and bank account statements, as well as confirmations of cheques issued. 

High Court judge Datuk Khadijah Idris, however, struck out the suit in September 2020, claiming it was filed to bolster Najib’s defence in his previous SRC International trial and describing it as an abuse of the court process. – The Vibes, September 12, 2022