The High Court in Kuala Lumpur heard on Tuesday (Jan 2) that Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak allegedly received US$681 million from Tanore Finance Corporation, suspected of being a bribe, to purchase votes during the 13th General Election (GE13).
According to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Senior Superintendent Nur Aida Arifin, who is the investigating officer (IO) in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case, Najib is accused of receiving the money through his AmPrivate Banking account via Falcon Private Bank Singapore in 2013.
The company behind Tanore Finance Corporation is owned by Eric Tan, an associate of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low.
Nur Aida, from the Anti-Money Laundering Division, MACC Headquarters in Putrajaya, stated that a complaint regarding the entry of the money was received on May 4, 2015, and the investigation was conducted under Section 16 of the MACC Act 2009.
“The complaint alleges that Najib, as the chairman of the 1MDB and the Finance Minister, accepted bribes through the public investment fund of 1MDB amounting to RM2.3 billion for his personal benefit,” said the 49th prosecution witness.
She made these statements while reading out her witness statement during examination-in-chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar in the corruption and money laundering case involving RM2.3 billion belonging to 1MDB against Najib.
Nur Aida explained that her investigation focused on the entry of a significant sum of money into Najib’s two personal accounts between 2011 and 2014.
“It is about Datuk Seri Najib who is said to have used his position to obtain bribes, and during that period, he was the prime minister, finance minister, and chairman of the 1MDB Advisory Board,” she stated.
“I conducted an investigation based on documents obtained from several parties, including Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), and the Finance Ministry,” she added.
Najib assumed office as Malaysia’s sixth prime minister on April 3, 2009 and was reappointed to the post on May 6, 2013, after Barisan Nasional (BN) won 133 parliamentary seats in GE13.
Najib, 70, is currently facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The trial before Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah is ongoing. – Bernama
