1mdb Trial Ex Mof Officer I Have No Direct Access To Najib

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1MDB TRIAL | A retired Finance Ministry officer testified that it is not a practice for civil servants to bypass their superiors and speak directly to then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.
Siti Zauyah Md Desa told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that as a result, she had no direct access to the then finance minister Najib to air her concerns over the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.
She was giving oral evidence during the RM2.28 billion 1MDB corruption trial against Najib, who also used to be the chairperson of the fund’s board of advisers.
As the accused looked on from the dock, the 26th prosecution was replying during re-examination by lead deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram.
When previously cross-examined by Najib’s defence team led by Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, she was grilled over why she did not just directly go and speak to Najib to air the numerous issues that beleaguered the fund, which is fully owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc).
Previously on June 20, she testified that those above her, such as then finance minister II Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah refused to get involved in 1MDB, and that then treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah told her not to proceed with an issue regarding Article 117 of 1MDB’s memorandum and articles of association (M&A).
Article 117 provides that 1MDB matters, such as the appointment of directors, senior management team members, and other financial matters, require Najib’s authorisation.
Former prime minister and finance minister Najib Abdul RazakAround midday today, Siti Zauyah testified that when she was cross-examined by the defence team, she felt it was “scary” as this was the first time she was asked to testify in court and that it was difficult to think straight when being grilled.
The witness, who had spent 30 years in the civil service and only retired in 2019, said the custom of public servants is to raise issues with their more immediate superiors, who were then supposed to bring it up with Najib.
Siti Zauyah: I approached the finance minister II (Husni) but he did not want to get involved. I cannot bypass the boss as it is not the practice for a (government) officer to go directly to the prime minister.
Sri Ram: You have no direct access to the prime minister (Najib)?
Siti Zauyah: No.
No due diligence for support letter
The witness also testified that no due diligence and assessment was carried out in the drafting of a proposal for the cabinet to greenlight the government’s letter of support (LOS) for a US$3 billion loan.
The loan is in relation to a joint venture (JV) between 1MDB and Aabar Investments. She previously testified that Malaysia is still in debt from the loan that followed Najib signing the LOS in 2013.
Siti Zauyah claimed that she and other members of her team were instructed to prepare the proposal and table it to the cabinet on the same day (back in 2013).
“However, the information we got was not enough, we had to work within the information given to us, which was limited,” she testified.
Previously, she told the court that it was difficult for her to get 1MDB personnel to share information.
Proceedings before trial judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues this afternoon.
Najib is on trial for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion from 1MDB.
The Pekan MP was alleged to have committed four counts of corruption at AmIslamic Bank Berhad’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch in Bukit Ceylon, Kuala Lumpur, between Feb 24, 2011, and Dec 19, 2014.
On the 21 money laundering charges, Najib is purported to have committed the offences at the same bank between March 22, 2013, and Aug 30, 2013.
The prosecution contended that the wrongdoing at 1MDB was carried out by businessperson Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, and several others with the blessing of Najib.
The accused’s defence team, however, claimed that the ex-prime minister had no knowledge of the crime perpetrated at 1MDB and that the embezzlement was solely masterminded by Low and other members of the fund’s management. - Mkini

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