Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had utilised only RM216,078,071.78 of the alleged RM2.6 billion Saudi Arabia cash donations that were deposited in several tranches into his private accounts in Ambank.
He has returned the balance of the funds to its sender.
The donations were deposited to Najib’s accounts before the 13th General Election (GE13) with full knowledge and approval of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
The documented evidence produced by the defence team during Najib-SRC trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court revealed that he had spent some 98% of the RM216,078,071.78 for various political and welfare programmes.
Former Umno president Najib disbursed RM97,930,000 (45%) for political and social programmes under his party.
Another RM84,793,260 (39.3%) was utilised for people-orientated and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes.
The balance RM29,629,694 (13.7%) was utilised for educational and welfare aids.
Najib had utilised less than 2% to purchase costly gifts valued at RM3.2 million for foreign government dignitaries and to carry out minor repair works at RM233,800 cost in his residences in Pekan, Pahang and Langgak Duta in Kuala Lumpur.
He had received a letter of appreciation from the recipient of the costly gifts, Noor Abdulaziz Abdulla Turki Al-Subaie, wife of former Qatar prime minister, and even told the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer (IO) SAC Rosli Hussain about it.
Rosli admitted that Najib had told him about the costly gifts bought in December 2014 to honour Malaysia-Qatar close ties and the letter of appreciation.
But MACC and Rosli decided not to investigate it!
Rosli has also failed to probe on the Saudi donations for Najib from Prince Faisal Al Turki (USD300 million) and the Finance Ministry (USD100 million).
The 57th prosecution witness testified before Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali that details of the Arab donations and how Najib utilised the monies were immaterial to his investigation.
“I did not conduct further investigation because such details were immaterial to my case,” he replied when queried by Najib’s defence team over his substandard probe during cross-examination.
One wonders what was more important.
MACC investigation into Najib’s private accounts was triggered by an article ‘Sensational Findings – Prime Minister Najib Razak Personal Accounts Linked To 1MDB Money Trail’ published in a blog, Sarawak Report (SR) on July 2, 2015.
The blog is operated by a British mercenary writer Clare Rewcastle Brown.
MACC initiated a graft probe over Saudi cash gifts that had been transferred into the then premier’s private accounts.
Thus, a thorough investigation on the source of the money and how the money was spent was imperative and crucial.
Rosli disregarded fugitive businessman Low Thaek Jho or Jho Low as the prime suspect in the Najib-SRC case, affirming suspicion of a shoddy investigation.
Testimonies by key witnesses Ambank’s ex-managing director Cheah Tek Kuang and former relationship manager Joanna Yu Ging Ping, plus digital evidences from a Blackberry Messenger however, showed that Jho Low was the main plotter who manipulated and misused Najib’s private bank accounts.
The defence team also established that all the financial manipulations were executed through Jho Low without Najib’s knowledge.
But Rosli and MACC decided to drop investigation on Jho Low and let him walk free out of Malaysia a few days after GE14 in May 2018.
MACC’s omission of fundamental inquests in such a high profile case raises doubts over a flawed investigation.
Suspicion persists that MACC was merely gunning for a political persecution on Najib rather than carrying out an honest and in-depth investigation to find out the whole truth.
Pekan MP Najib currently faces 7 corruption charges involving RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.
The charges were 3 each for CBT under Section 409 of the Penal Code and money laundering under Section 4 of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities (AMLA) Act 2001, and 1 for abuse of power under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009.
Najib, 66, was charged with committing the offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd in Jalan Raja Chulan and the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya between Aug 17, 2011, and Feb 10, 2015.
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