Day 77 King Abdullah Promised Financial Aid To Najib For Ge13

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The criminal trial of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak involving the alleged misappropriation of funds from SRC International Sdn Bhd enters day 77 today at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysiakini brings you live reports of the proceedings
Summary of Najib’s SRC RM42 million caseNajib is facing 7 charges relating to RM42m involving SRC International, a former 1MDB subsidiary
1 abuse of power charge3 criminal breach of trust (CBT) charges3 money laundering chargesClick to view information on judge, prosecution and defence teamKEY HIGHLIGHTS'King Abdullah promised financial aid to Najib for GE13'Former Malaysian ambassador to Saudi Arabia takes the stand.Judge grants one-hour break to prosecution10.28am - Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali allows DPP V Sithambaram's application for an hour break
The judge grants this application as the prosecution was served this morning with an amended copy of former Malaysian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Syed Omar Syed Mohammad Al Saggaf's witness statement
They were served with the unamended version of the witness statement last night
Earlier, lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had wrapped up a brief examination-in-chief of Syed Omar, who is the fourth defence witness in Najib Abdul Razak's RM42 million SRC International trial
'King Abdullah promised financial aid to Najib for GE13'9.52am - The court hears that then Saudi ruler King Abdullah Abdulaziz Al-Saud promised financial aid to then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak for the 13th General Election
Former Malaysian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Syed Omar Syed Mohammad Al Saggaf testifies that he was made to understand this during an unofficial meeting between a Najib-led delegation and King Abdullah on Jan 11, 2010, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
While reading out from a witness statement, the fourth defence witness says that the unofficial meeting took place just before Najib's official visit to Saudi Arabia a few days later in January 2010
"After the meeting (Jan 11, 2010), I was made to understand that King Abdullah promised to send financial aid to Najib for management of politics linked to the upcoming elections (GE13)," Syed Omar says during examination-in-chief by lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah
Syed Omar says that earlier in the meeting, King Abdullah expresses admiration on how Malaysia was managed as a country and was concerned with any potential effect from the tumult that triggered the Arab Spring in the middle east
Former Malaysian ambassador to Saudi Arabia takes the stand9.27am - The fourth defence witness, Syed Omar Syed Mohammad Al Saggaf, 76, was a former Malaysian ambassador to Saudi, Arabia takes the witness stand
He will read out from a written Witness Statement
He was the Malaysian ambassador to the Middle Eastern kingdom from September 2008 to September 2013
9.24am - Accused Najib Abdul Razak enters the dock as proceedings begin
Also seen in court is the former prime minister's lead defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah
9am - Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak enters the Kuala Lumpur High Court and takes a seat at the front row of the public gallery
Also in court awaiting proceedings to begin is Attorney-General Tommy Thomas, DPP V Sithambaram and other DPPs, as well as members of Najib's defence team
A former ambassador of Malaysia to Saudi Arabia, Syed Omar Syed Mohammad Al Saggaf, may be set to testify on the 77th day of Najib Abdul Razak’s RM42 million SRC International trial today
The former dignitary is understood to be the potential fourth witness in the defence stage of former prime minister Najib’s hearing of seven counts of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving RM42 million from SRC
At the end of previous proceedings on Wednesday last week, the accused’s defence counsel Harvinderjit Singh informed the Kuala Lumpur High Court that they would be interviewing the fourth witness to prepare for today’s trial
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the court among others heard from the third witness, former Treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, that it usually takes over a month for the process to apply for a government guarantee for loans
During the prosecution stage of the trial last year, prosecution witness Maliami Hamad, who was a former senior finance ministry officer, testified that orders came from then finance minister Najib through intermediaries to rush the processing of SRC's application for a government guarantee for the billions of ringgit in loans from Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP) to SRC
The cabinet approved a government guarantee for a RM2 billion loan from KWAP to SRC in late 2011 and a second government guarantee for another RM2 billion loan from the pensioners' fund to the company in early 2012
Formerly under troubled sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, SRC later came under the full ownership of the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MoF Inc) in early 2012
This morning’s proceedings before Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali is expected to resume around 9am. - Mkini

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