1MDB trial: Najib used millions of ringgit to win over Chinese voters ahead of GE13, pay for Umno assembly goodie bags

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had in 2013 issued cheques totalling millions of ringgit from his personal AmIslamic bank account for purposes such as wooing voters from the ethnic Chinese community and to prepare for the 13th general election (GE13), a police investigator confirmed in the High Court today.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Foo Wei Min, who is in charge of money laundering investigations in Najib’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case, confirmed this when testifying as the 48th prosecution witness in the latter’s trial.

Najib’s lead defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah today asked Foo to confirm his 2018 investigations on a series of cheques that Najib had issued from his private bank account codenamed “AmPrivate Banking-MR”, and also read out excerpts from Najib’s 2018 statement to Foo on the cheques.

Shafee argued that Najib had mostly spent the money in his bank account for reasons such as political purposes.

This included Najib’s RM5 million cheque on March 25, 2013 to Solar Shine Sdn Bhd, which Najib had told Foo was a payment for engagement programmes with the Chinese including 1Malaysia banquet for the ethnic Chinese community.

Reading from Najib’s 2018 statement to Foo during investigations, Shafee said: “Solar Shine is operated by Datuk Lew and he is a political associate to me personally. He helped in winning the hearts of the Chinese. I was forced to use an associate like him other than MCA and Gerakan because the Chinese did not really support Chinese political components. If I use MCA, it’s not enough because not all Chinese trust MCA.”

In 2013, the predominantly Chinese multiracial Gerakan was still part of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition which Najib was leading at that time, but had left BN after the coalition’s 2018 electoral defeat and is now part of the Perikatan Nasional coalition. The Chinese-based party MCA is part of the BN coalition.

Foo confirmed that he was told that Najib had turned to this businessman instead to also help garner support from the ethnic Chinese community.

Separately, Foo confirmed that he had asked Najib about his two other cheques worth RM5 million each that were also issued in 2013 to Solar Shine, noting that Najib had in 2018 told Foo that these were for Solar Shine’s expenses and banquets for the ethnic Chinese community throughout Malaysia.

Shafee suggested that this was for political purposes too where there was a need for food catering.

Foo said he had confirmed with Solar Shine how the cheques were spent, with the company producing photographs of banquets as supporting evidence to him.

Shafee also read from Najb’s 2018 statement to Foo, where the former finance minister had said a cheque in 2013 to Mediaedge: Cia Malaysia Sdn Bhd was for media duties before GE13 and that he did not know this company. Citing the statement, Shafee said Najib also said no contract was prepared but payment was made based on the bills sent to his press secretary who was handling the matter.

Foo said he had checked with the company which said the money was paid to them as they had made a Chinese New Year advertisement of Najib wishing the Chinese community, and agreed with Shafee’s suggestion that this was “part of a public relations (PR) exercise to win over the hearts of Chinese voters” and that it was therefore for political purposes for GE13.

Shafee again cited Najib as having told Foo in 2018 that his RM2.5 million cheque on March 26, 2013, to Media Link Direct was payment for BN “before or nearing the elections” and that he did not know this company. Foo then confirmed that his checks with Media Link Direct personnel had verified this.

Foo agreed that Najib had given the same explanation about his separate RM1 million cheque to Media Link Direct, and confirmed that he had verified this with the latter.

Lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah is pictured at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, in Kuala Lumpur November 9, 2023. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

Other than that, Shafee referred to Najib’s RM220,000 cheque on March 22, 2013, to Red Bag Industry Sdn Bhd, which Najib had told Foo was for “souvenirs in the form of bags for the Umno general assembly” and Najib said that he does not know the company but will pay the bill when it is presented to him.

Foo confirmed that he had determined this to be correct and had confirmed it was for a political purpose.

As for a RM9 million cheque from Najib to Zeal Hi-Tech Solutions Sdn Bhd on March 29, 2013, Najib had told Foo that this was his payment “for souvenir bags for Umno headquarters’ meeting and also expenditure for the giving to Umno members that are not in the form of money but goodies and souvenirs” and that he does not know the company but paid according to the bill sent by Umno headquarters to him.

Foo said he had checked with the company which confirmed receiving RM9 million, but said some of the expenditures by the company were not supported with sufficient receipts. He however agreed with Shafee that the company said it received the payments for the souvenirs.

Again, Foo confirmed a separate RM4.5 million cheque from Najib to the same company Zeal Hi-Tech Solutions, also confirming that the company had verified the same reason given by Najib for the payment.

“Yes, confirmed, and we called up Zeal Hi-Tech Solutions and we recorded a statement, just that for Zeal Hi-Tech we have incomplete receipts to tally the amount paid to them,” he told Shafee.

Foo also confirmed other cheques issued by Najib from his “AmPrivate Banking-MR” account, including a RM250,000 cheque on March 22, 2013 for Maran Umno, a RM1 million cheque on March 22, 2013 for Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) which Najib said was for political activities expenditure as requested by the party, and a RM500,000 cheque for Selangor Barisan Nasional for its political activities expenditure.

Foo also said he had verified a RM3 million cheque to Pahang MCA and a separate RM1 million cheque to BN Indian-based component party MIC’s headquarters, with Najib having said that he had issued both cheques in 2013 for political activities expenditure as requested by the respective parties.

Shafee remarked that these cheques such as the MIC one in March 2013, were quite close to the GE13 which was held in May 2013.

Shafee highlighted that Najib had told Foo during investigations that he had given a RM200,000 cheque in 2013 to Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah as a welfare aid and Foo confirmed he had checked with the college on this.

As for Najib’s RM9 million cheque in 2013 to textile company Jakel Trading, Najib had explained this was for payment for two programmes and to pay for the buying of “baju Melayu” and “baju kurung” clothing to be gifted to Pekan residents — including single mothers — under Pekan welfare programmes and “baju kurung” and to supply robes to be gifted to mosque committees nationwide. Najib was previously the Pekan MP.

Foo said he had contacted Jakel which confirmed the RM9 million payment received and which also showed receipts that matched what Najib said, adding that the total payments eventually received by the company was not less than RM20 million.

Apart from these cheques, Foo also confirmed that Vital Spire Sdn Bhd — which had received a series of payments from Najib including a 2013 cheque for RM80,000 — had said they were receiving payments for the then prime minister’s cancer prevention and health supplements.

While still pending further reference to other documents, Foo was asked about Yayasan Rahah — named after Najib’s late mother Tun Rahah Mohamed Noah — which was said to have received payment previously from Najib.

Citing Najib’s previous statement in 2018 to him, Foo said this foundation is a welfare programme in the Pekan parliamentary constituency for the public’s welfare such as helping those who are sick, repairing old houses and concerning floods.

After going through these cheques issued from Najib’s “AmPrivate Banking-MR” account in 2013, Shafee then suggested that the “general tenor of all these spending” showed that Najib “did not benefit himself”: “Datuk Seri Najib himself did not personally benefit from these money, he spent it on political, social welfare as well as CSR (corporate social responsibility, we can see from the expenses, is that correct?”

Foo replied: “yes”.

Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor is pictured at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, in Kuala Lumpur November 9, 2023. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

While Shafee suggested that the general pattern of Najib’s spending meant the accusation that he is a “kleptocrat is not justified”, Foo emphasised his role as a money laundering investigator in the 1MDB case and said he was not in a position to comment on this.

“As an investigation officer of the case, we are merely looking on proving the case on elements of money laundering, which is placing, layering and integration, which is usage, transfer and disguise the source of the ill-gotten gain. So we are focusing on investigation on that, so that is the purpose of the investigating officer of the case, so I’m not in a perspective to comment on that,” he said.

The cheques which Shafee highlighted today are not the cheques related to Najib’s money laundering charges in the 1MDB trial, but Foo confirmed he had investigated every single payment out of Najib’s “AmPrivate Banking-MR” account as part of the money laundering investigations in 1MDB.

As for Najib’s five cheques totalling RM22.649 million that are alleged to have involved illegal money originating from a 1MDB subsidiary and are related to Najib’s money laundering charges in the 1MDB trial, Shafee is expected to ask Foo about his investigation findings on these cheques next week.

On Tuesday, Foo agreed with Shafee that Najib did not use the money in his account for personal spending such as buying a yacht.

Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor was present in the courtroom today.

In this trial, Najib is facing 25 charges related to RM2.27 billion of 1MDB funds which were alleged to have entered his private AmIslamic bank accounts. This includes 21 money laundering charges covering allegations of him receiving, using and transferring illegal funds.

Najib’s 1MDB trial before Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah is scheduled to resume next Tuesday.