“My only interest in the SRC is that it is in the national interest,” he told the High Court here today, as he took the witness stand to make a sworn statement after Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali ruled a prima facie case was established by the prosecution in the trial for alleged misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC.
Testifying in his defence, Najib said there were instances where he wrote ‘bersetuju” (agree) but the officers did not support his decision.
In his opening speech outlining the defence case today, Shafee said his team will also prove that the surrounding circumstances has led Najib to believe that fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, was a close associate to the royal family of Saudi Arabia.
Najib said this on his first day of giving testimony in his SRC trial at the High Court.
His lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told a press conference that two of these unnamed individuals were from Saudi Arabia while the other two were from Abu Dhabi.
"I understand that Jho Low was chosen as the advisor to the chairman of TIA board of advisors, who was Sultan Mizan himself," he said.
This means that Najib is liable to be cross-examined by the prosecution -- led by Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas -- that comprise appointed prosecutor Datuk V Sithambaram and other deputy public prosecutors.
Azlan Shah Jaffril said he also had to pay a RM2 million bribe to former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to operate OSCs in Nepal and Pakistan to process work permits for people from those countries.
The money was allegedly paid in nine tranches through Isa’s former aide Muhammad Zahid Md Arip.
As a result, the MACC had today agreed to withdraw its forfeiture action against Bustari.
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