‘Not people like us’: Ex-banker Joanna Yu says ‘protocol’ stopped her from contacting then PM Najib directly
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Former AmBank banker Joanna Yu today said she believed that she could not have contacted Datuk Seri Najib Razak directly over his personal AmBank accounts, due to her ranking and his status as the then prime minister.
Yu, who was the AmBank relationship manager handling Najib’s private bank accounts, was explaining why she did not think it was appropriate for her to deal with Najib directly.
Yu was testifying as the 41st prosecution witness in Najib’s trial, where the former finance minister is facing 25 charges over the misappropriation of RM2.28 billion of 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s (1MDB) funds which were said to have entered his private AmBank accounts.
Yu said AmBank did allow customers who are “elderly” or “incapacitated” to appoint mandate holders, or authorised persons to handle their bank accounts on their behalf.
Throughout the time that Najib had his personal accounts at AmBank, Yu had communicated with either his mandate holder Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil or Low Taek Jho — the person who first informed her of Najib’s intention to open such bank accounts — on money coming into the accounts.
Najib’s lead defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah then immediately suggested that “busy people” are also allowed to appoint mandate holders for their bank accounts and insisted that it would not be unusual for Najib to have a mandate holder.
Yu agreed it would not be unusual for Najib, suggesting that he would have a personal assistant to help deal with his matters as he was prime minister.
Shafee again suggested it was not unusual for Najib to have a mandate holder for his AmBank account by saying: “Because he would naturally be busy in various other matters.”
Yu then replied: “And protocol-wise, I was told he is PM, you can’t, there’s hierarchy.”
Shafee: What has that got to do with anything?
Yu: Protocol-wise, we don’t deal directly with PM.
Shafee: Who told you this?
Yu: Even Mr Cheah, Jho Low, by action, they would meet PM, not people like us.
She was referring to AmBank’s former managing director Cheah Tek Kuang — who was asked to go to Najib’s house for the latter’s bank accounts’ opening process — and Low — better known as Jho Low.
Former AmBank banker Joanna Yu arrives at Kuala Lumpur High Court, December 15, 2022. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Shafee then asked: “Who told you this frightening story about the PM, that protocol-wise cannot see PM, like Buddha, you can’t go and see him, can’t look at his face?”
Yu then agreed that this was perhaps her own perception and that she did not try to meet Najib personally, saying: “I would think the PM won’t have time to meet me.”
Yesterday, Yu had testified that Low had told her that she was not qualified to meet Najib based on protocol for the account opening process and that Low had asked for Cheah to be the one to meet Najib instead.
Among other things, Shafee highlighted that 1MDB’s former chief investment officer Nik Faisal was a qualified accountant and suggested this was why Najib was ok with appointing him to be his AmBank accounts’ mandate holder.
Shafee also highlighted that Nik Faisal was the son of a late Dewan Rakyat speaker, with Yu saying she did not know at that point of time but subsequently read about it. Shafee said both Nik Faisal’s father and Najib’s father were close friends, but Yu said she was not aware.
Shafee suggested that Low instructed Yu that all of Najib’s bank statements at AmBank should not be sent to him.
Yu however replied that the instruction given was for AmBank to not send such statements directly by post to Najib, and that the bank was instead asked to hand deliver the documents.
She confirmed Najib’s bank statements were given to Nik Faisal and confirmed she would not know if Nik Faisal had given these documents to Najib.
Najib’s 1MDB trial before High Court judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah resumes on January 27, with Shafee expected to continue cross-examining Yu.
