Nurul Iman Dzulkefly was appointed and served as non-executive director of AIM Solutions Group Bhd in April 2018 and as a board member of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia in October of the same year.

Dzulkefly, 70, was testifying on the opening day of his defamation trial against former prime minister Najib Razak over a Facebook post Najib published on March 8, 2022.

The post alleged that Dzulkefly had practised nepotism by securing his daughter Nurul’s appointment to the board of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia.

During examination-in-chief by lawyer Stanley Sabastien Sinnappen, Dzulkefly testified that he had no influence over the first appointment as he was still an opposition politician on April 30, 2018.

Stanley: Were you aware of this appointment?

Dzulkefly: I only became aware of this appointment after Iman told me about it, after she had accepted the appointment. So how could I have assisted her in getting this job when I had no knowledge before she was given the offer letter?

He further noted that the appointment at AIM Solution took place when Najib was prime minister.

In cross-examination, Najib’s counsel Shafee Abdullah asked Dzulkefly when he became aware of Nurul’s appointment to the board of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, which took place in October 2018.

Shafee: When did she (Nurul) tell you that she was accepting the appointment to this board?

Dzulkefly: Honestly speaking, I don’t remember.

Asked by co-counsel Farhan Shafee to confirm if the second appointment was made during Dzulkefly’s tenure as the health minister, he said: “Yes”.

Farhan: Is the post that you allege to be defamatory in relation to Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia?

Dzulkefly: I was not in the know (as regards both appointments) until she told me. I only learned about the appointments retrospectively, after she came to me.

The proceedings before Justice Mahazan Mat Taib will continue tomorrow.