KUALA LUMPUR: A clear picture is beginning to emerge on the planning involved in the flow of RM42 million from a 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) subsidiary company into Datuk Seri Najib Razak's personal bank accounts.
Evidence given in court by a key prosecution witness in Najib's trial involving the abuse of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds today outlined the money trail and her role in it all.
The witness, Ung Su Ling, gave details about how she was told three months in advance that money would be pumped into Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB) and the instructions given to her by Najib's former private secretary, the late Datuk Seri Azlin Alias.
She revealed how Azlin told her about the money transfers and asked her help to relay instructions for the cash to be moved into two private bank accounts.
The process started after Ung had gone to Azlin's office located within the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) at the Putra Perdana Complex, Putrajaya in Sept 2014.
There, she was told that a certain amount of money will be transferred into IPSB's bank account, apparently for corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.
At the same time, she said, Azlin asked her help to inform IPSB managing director Datuk Dr Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman where to move the money.
"I agreed to help him convey the message," she said during examination in chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul.
The 51-year-old former chief executive (CEO) of another 1MDB-linked entity called Yayasan Rakyat 1Malaysia (YR1M), said Azlin eventually Whatsapp messaged her in December to inform that a certain amount of money had been banked into IPSB's account.
Ung said she was instructed to inform Dr Shamsul to transfer RM27 million and RM5 million in separate transactions into two AmIslamic private bank accounts ending with 880 and 906.
She said Azlin Whatsapp messaged her again in February 2015, this time directing her to inform Dr Shamsul to move another RM10 million into the AmIslamic account ending with 880.
Ung, who was the 49th witness in the trial, said at that time she did not know who was the owner of the two accounts.
However, it has been previously established that the accounts which the RM42 million ended up in belonged to Najib.
On the Whatsapp messages, Ung said she had deleted the conversation with Azlin after he died.
It was reported that Azlin, along with former Rompin member of parliament Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis and four others were killed in a helicopter crash in April 2015.
They were killed after the ill-fated helicopter crashed into the fringes of a jungle near Jalan Sungai Lalang, Kampung Pasir Batu, Semenyih.
The helicopter was flying back from Pekan to Subang after the victims attended the wedding reception of Najib's daughter.
Ung's testimony today corroborates with the evidence given by Dr Shamsul, who had previously testified transferring the RM42 million into the AmBank accounts.
Dr Shamsul had given evidence how IPSB's account had been used as a transit point for the money before it was moved out.
The trial before High Court Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali will continue tomorrow.
Najib is facing three charges of criminal breach of trust, one for the abuse of power and three more for money laundering involving RM42 million of SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.
The 66-year-old Pekan member of parliament faces 20-years jail and fine for the offences.