KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 6): A witness in the ongoing SRC International civil trial denied fabricating her testimony to single out Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s former private secretary, the late Datuk Azlin Alias, as the person who instructed transfers of millions meant for charity. The funds ended up in Najib’s personal accounts.

Former Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M) chief executive officer Ung Su Ling also denied that the instructions actually came from fugitive Low Taek Jhow (Jho Low), which she followed because of Ung’s past professional history with Jho Low.

Ung worked with Jho Low previously at Wynton Private Equity from 2004 to 2006.

Defence attorney Muhammad Farhan Shafee: [I put it to you that parts of your statement] was fabrication because no instruction came from Azlin. [...] In reality, it came from Jho Low.

Ung: That is not true.

Farhan: Because you had an earlier [professional] relationship with Jho Low at Wynton?

Ung: No.

Ung was testifying in SRC International and Gandingan Mentari’s RM42 million civil suit against the former prime minister (Najib).

Previously, Ung testified that Azlin told her that funds would soon be sent to an Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB) account, and that she should instruct IPSB’s managing director Datuk Seri Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman on where to transfer the money.

During proceedings on Monday, Farhan cited conversations between Ung and former AmBank relationship manager Joanna Yu Ging Ping, where the word "friend" was used. Farhan suggested that the word didn’t mean Azlin, as testified by Ung but referred to others, including Jho Low. Ung denied this.

Farhan: You are being dishonest. When the word “friend” or “our friend” is used, it is in reference to Jho Low.

Ung: I don’t know for sure. I disagree [when Yu uses] “friend”, is she referring to the same [person]?

Ung said that she had to deal with Yu because Yu was the bank’s relationship manager for the charity organisation. Yu was also the relationship manager for accounts linked to SRC and 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Farhan and Ung went back and forth during proceedings, with Ung often showing frustration at the questions posed.

At one point, Ung told Farhan he could interpret their text conversations to tell a story that suits him, but that he wasn’t part of them (the conversations).

“Mr Farhan, you can put any context you want [to the conversation], whether it’s favourable or not favourable [to you]. But you are not part of the conversation,” she said.

After a few hours of exchanges in the same tone between the witness and Najib’s lawyer, trial judge Datuk Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan stepped in, reminding the witness to refrain from making unnecessary comments, as the counsel was merely doing his job.

Ung then apologised to the court.

Per Ung’s testimony, in December 2014, Azlin told her to instruct Shamsul to transfer RM27 million to an AmIslamic account named “AmPrivate Banking — 1MY” (“Account 880”) and RM5 million to an AmIslamic account named “AmPrivate Banking — MY” (“Account 906”). These accounts are Najib’s personal accounts, although Ung has testified that she was unaware of this at that time.

In February 2015, Azlin then further instructed her to tell Shamsul to transfer a sum of RM10 million to Account ‘880.

In this matter, SRC and Gandingan Mentari are represented by Kwan Will Sen.

The trial resumes on Oct 13.

Read also:
Azlin’s orders to transfer Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia’s funds to Najib’s accounts were not made in his capacity as trustee, court hears
Former Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia CEO says only learnt monies went to Najib’s personal accounts through media reports
SRC, subsidiary just want RM42m back in civil suit against Najib
YR1M ex-CEO: Najib’s private secretary told me to get Ihsan Perdana to move RM42m into Najib’s accounts