KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak never tried to hide any transactions involving millions of ringgit remitted into his private bank accounts, the High Court heard today.
However, Najib's former Ambank relationship manager, Joanna Yu Gin Ping, stated that the large amounts of money flowing through Najib's accounts made the bank uneasy and that they wanted the accounts closed.
Yu said this under cross-examination by Najib's lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, in Najib's corruption trial for allegedly misappropriating billions from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds.
Shafee also questioned whether Yu was working in cahoots with rogue financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, to cover up Najib's accounts, to which Yu replied in the negative.
The senior lawyer at the outset of the trial today zoomed in on Yu's BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) text with her boss, Ambank managing director Ashok Ramamurthy.
Yu said Ashok told her in person that he wanted Yu to close Najib's accounts due to the large amount of money involved in transactions and the account being overdrawn on several occasions.
She said Low was reluctant when she told him about this (account closure), stating that Najib refused to close his account.
Shafee: You did not directly communicate with Najib for the account to be closed down?
Yu: No.
The 51-year-old former banker also agreed that Najib never tried to hide the opening of his private accounts at the bank several years ago.
Shafee: There are two major things here, one is the opening of the accounts and the monies that (were) coming in... Najib never tried to hide this.
Yu: Yes.
Shafee: He never made it to a point to communicate with the bank saying, 'Please keep my account confidential'.
Yu: I do not know.
Yu later explained that she was unaware of any document indicating that Najib requested that the information of his bank accounts be kept private.
Yu in her testimony said Najib's accounts at the bank were so discreet to the extent that the bank had codenamed them as "AmPrivate Banking-MR" to avoid any information leakage.
Najib, 70, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The trial before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.