Authenticity Of Arab Donation Not Relevant Key Is Najib S Belief Defence

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NAJIB TRIAL | Najib Abdul Razak's defence team today argued in his RM42 million SRC International Sdn Bhd graft case that it was irrelevant whether the money the former prime minister received was a genuine Arab donation. Defence lawyer Harvinderjit Singh said what mattered is that Najib believed it to be true
"It is the existence of reasonable belief. They (prosecution) try to argue the Arab donation is not real at all. That is irrelevant," he told the Kuala Lumpur High Court
Submitting for the defence, Harvinderjit said the defence does not need to prove whether letters purportedly from the Saudi royal family confirming the donation was authentic
"I don't need to prove the letters are authentic per se. The letters existed at that material time, was given to banks... The existence is not disputed
"My case does not lie on authenticity but on its existence," he contended
Defence lawyer Harvinderjit SinghNajib had claimed that billions of ringgit he received when he was prime minister and finance minister in his bank accounts were donations from the Saudi Arabia royal family
However, the prosecution argued that the money originated from government-linked companies including RM42 million traced back to SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of state fund 1MDB and later a Finance Minister Incorporated entity
Najib is facing a separate trial involving a sum of RM2.28 billion allegedly traced back to 1MDB and its associate companies
Harvinderjit noted that the prosecution had argued that statements by purported royalty confirming the donation were not real but questioned why investigators did not pursue the matter
[More to follow] - Mkini

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