During cross-examination by SRC International’s counsel, Kwan Will Sen, the former prime minister was asked about his decision to appoint then SRC CEO Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil to manage his accounts.
Najib had claimed he was unfamiliar with Nik Faisal, whose appointment was suggested by his principal private secretary, the late Azlin Alias.
Kwan: You appointed Nik Faisal to be the individual or the proxy operating your bank accounts. Correct?
Najib: Yes. I asked him (Azlin) who would be appointed, and he later informed me that he had selected Nik Faisal as the authorised person.
Najib said he was comfortable with the arrangement.
“First of all, he’s well qualified as an accountant.
“Secondly, it was put to me that Nik Faisal’s father (Nik Ahmad Kamil Nik Mahmood) was (a former) Dewan Rakyat speaker, and he was very close to my late father.
“So, because of that, I think, I had no objection to his appointment,” he said.
Asked whether appointing someone he had not met was potentially risky, Najib replied: “I never imagined there would be problems with my account. I had no reason to doubt him.”
Najib was testifying in a civil suit brought by SRC International Sdn Bhd and its subsidiary, Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd, seeking to recover RM42 million allegedly misappropriated from the company’s accounts.
Nik Faisal, named as a third party in the suit along with five other former SRC directors, remains at large.
‘AmBank accounts not for personal use’
Najib, 72, reiterated that although the AmBank accounts were registered in his personal name, the funds were intended for corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities rather than for his private use.
Kwan had highlighted that none of the documents relating to the opening of the bank accounts had made mention of CSR activities.
“Let me clarify. It’s not personal in the sense that I do my personal transactions for both these two accounts.
“It’s in my name, but it is meant to receive donations for CSR. Although I will agree with you (that) it’s not stated there, but that was the intention,” he said.
Najib has been jailed since Aug 23, 2022, after he was convicted of misappropriating RM42 million in SRC funds. He was sentenced to 12 years’ jail and fined RM210 million.
Following a petition for a royal pardon filed on Sept 2, 2022, the Federal Territories Pardons Board on Jan 29, 2024 halved his jail term to six years, and reduced his fine to RM50 million.
Najib was represented by Farhan Shafee.
The hearing before Justice Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan continues tomorrow.