Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak told the High Court yesterday (Mar 10) that his first reaction was one of shock upon discovering millions of ringgit had been deposited into his personal bank account.
According to Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB) managing director, Datuk Dr Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman, he testified that Najib had exclaimed “My God!” when informed about the RM42 million transfer in 2015.
In a report by NST, Shamsul, who appeared as a defence witness in Najib’s corruption trial, stated that he had admitted to transferring the funds.
He said he did so after receiving instructions from Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) chief executive Ung Su Ling and project director Dennis See Thuan Buan.
Unaware of account ownership
Despite facilitating the transaction, Shamsul claimed he was unaware that the recipient account—labelled AmPrivate Banking-MY—belonged to Najib.
“I told Najib I was following instructions from Ung and See as I believed the payments were meant for corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes.
“From his reaction over the phone, it appeared that Najib was shocked, and I heard him mutter ‘My God’,” he said while being examined by Najib’s lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
Shamsul further stated that he had repeatedly asked See about the account details but was told he did not need to know.
MACC interrogation and Najib’s denial
Shamsul also recalled being detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in July 2015, where he alleged that investigators pressured him to implicate Najib in the RM42 million transaction. However, he refused to do so.
Following his release, Shamsul met Najib at his Langgak Duta residence, where he revealed that the interrogation had led him to discover that the account belonged to the former prime minister.
Najib was shocked. He said he did not know who was putting money into his account or why it was done through Ihsan Perdana.
“Had I known the account belonged to Najib, I would have sought permission before transferring the funds,” he said.
Najib is facing four charges of using his position to secure RM2.3 billion in bribes from 1MDB funds, along with 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The trial continues before Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
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