Ex-1MDB director agrees millions of 1MDB funds went into Najib’s bank accounts
These transactions that were highlighted today would come up to a total of RM195 million that went into the two AmIslamic bank accounts, with Ismee agreeing based on documents shown that these two bank accounts were actually Najib’s.
(MMO) – Millions of ringgit belonging to or borrowed by 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) went into former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal bank accounts previously, former IMDB director Tan Sri Ismee Ismail confirmed in court today.
Ismee was testifying as the 13th prosecution witness in Najib’s trial over the misappropriation of more than RM2 billion of 1MDB funds.
Previously, Najib’s lawyers had suggested to Ismee that Najib had allegedly not received personal benefits from 1MDB transactions and deals, but lead prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram today challenged this by showing flow charts of money flows from 1MDB deals and other documents to Ismee.
With this 1MDB trial involving four phases of 1MDB transactions and deals that resulted in billions of ringgit allegedly siphoned out from the company, Sri Ram highlighted a select few of these transactions in flow charts shown to Ismee today.
The transactions which Sri Ram showed to Ismee today included US$9.99 million on February 24, 2011 and another US$9.99 million on June 14, 2011 which made its way into an AmIslamic bank account with account number ending 9694 from the first phase of 1MDB transactions, and funds worth RM15 million and RM75 million being transferred on October 30, 2012 and November 19, 2012 to the same account under the second phase of transactions.
From the flow charts, Sri Ram also showed money flows of RM45 million in five transactions between October to December 2014 to the AmIslamic Bank account with bank account number ending 1880 from the fourth phase.
These transactions that were highlighted today would come up to a total of RM195 million that went into the two AmIslamic bank accounts, with Ismee agreeing based on documents shown that these two bank accounts were actually Najib’s.
For the RM15 million and RM75 million transactions which Sri Ram highlighted, he then asked Ismee whether the latter would like to “review your answer given at the cross-examination that the accused did not get any personal benefit from these transactions.”
Ismee then confirmed that money had gone to Najib’s accounts.
Ismee: From the flow chart, I can see that the money went into the account 9694.
Sri Ram: Belonging to the accused?
Ismee: Yes.
Sri Ram: And these monies were actually 1MDB monies?
Ismee: Yes.
Ismee gave similar answers to similar questions by Sri Ram, who was challenging Najib’s lawyers’ suggestion that the former prime minister did not benefit from the 1MDB transactions.
