KUALA LUMPUR: A former Treasury official told the High Court in Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial that then second finance minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah did not want to get involved in the company’s matters.
Siti Zauyah Mohd Desa, the former Treasury deputy secretary-general, said she learned this when she raised the issue of 1MDB’s “unique” memorandum and articles of association (M&A) with Husni and then Treasury secretary-general Irwan Serigar Abdullah.
“The second finance minister said he didn’t want to get involved with 1MDB,” said Zauyah.
“Tan Sri (Irwan) told me not to do anything (on the M&A).”
Previously, Siti Zauyah said she could not understand how some provisions were included in the M&A. These provisions gave the prime minister “ultimate power” to approve matters in 1MDB related to appointments, investments and other matters of national interest.
During cross-examination today, Najib’s defence lawyer, Shafee Abdullah, asked Siti Zauyah if she was “sure” of her facts.
Siti Zauyah said her division – Minister of Finance Incorporated (MoF Inc) – was not given much information on the M&A.
Shafee then questioned how she prepared her witness statement for the trial, especially on the issues that touched on 1MDB’s M&A.
“How did you do your research in preparing your statement without looking at the file itself? If you don’t know the subject, you don’t talk about it,” Shafee said, adding Najib did not draw up the M&A provisions.
Siti Zauyah then told the court she was seeing the Husni-approved M&A on 1MDB only today.
Shafee: I am suggesting that historically, the Terengganu Investment Authority (which later became 1MDB) has had these provisions. They were taken on board during the federalisation and (they were) ‘copy-pasted’ into 1MDB (M&A).
Zauyah: No comment.
MoF representatives in 1MDB
Shafee also questioned Siti Zauyah on her previous testimony that no finance ministry representatives were appointed as 1MDB directors.
He said Siti Zauyah was “’misleading the court”, pointing out that the former Treasury secretary-general had signed a letter titled “Special Rights Redeemable Preference Shareholder’s Resolution of 1MDB” that gave authority to the finance ministry to have a 25% director representation at 1MDB meetings.
“You are not telling the truth,” Shafee said.
Siti Zauyah said she was not aware of the letter or its contents and that she only knew of its existence today.
Najib is standing trial on 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering over alleged 1MDB funds amounting to RM2.28 billion deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.
The hearing before High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.
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