KUALA LUMPUR: Details of how Datuk Seri Najib Razak paid for the upkeep of his “Ah-Jib Gor” Facebook page, publication of a Chinese weekly and setting up of a news portal called The Malaysian Digest were revealed today.
It was revealed that the admin of the Facebook page and those handling the Chinese weekly were paid RM238,914, while the Malaysian Digest operator was given RM240,000.
Witnesses testified on how Najib paid for all of this to keep his pulse on Chinese issues.
It was also revealed that Najib paid a company RM150,000 monthly to monitor the Chinese media and social media sites.
The company, known as Centre for Strategic Engagement Sdn Bhd (CENSE), was set up by a former executive director of Sin Chew Daily, Rita Sim.
Sim testified that CENSE was established in 2010 to conduct surveys, public policy research and offer Chinese media monitoring services.
She said her company was engaged by Najib’s former adviser, the late Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis, to provide the services mentioned to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Sim said CENSE monitored six Chinese language newspapers for the Prime Minister’s media office, namely Sin Chew Daily, Nanyang Siang Pau, China Press, Guang Ming Daily, Kwong Wah Jit Poh and Oriental Daily.
She said the newspapers stories were analysed and daily, weekly and monthly reports were sent to the PMO.
“We looked at all the six newspapers and social media websites on issues concerning the Chinese.
“We summarised and analysed all the issues and sent the briefs to the media office of the PMO through WhatsApp daily,” she said, adding that weekly and monthly reports were sent via e-mails.
When deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi asked who gave her the instructions to do all of this, she said it was Jamaluddin, who was popularly known as JJ.
Suhami: What was his role in the PMO?
Sim: I am not sure, but we (CENSE) had meetings with him at the PMO in Putrajaya.
Suhaimi: Were you paid for this work?
Sim: Yes. We were paid RM 150,000 in December, 2014, and RM 150,000 in January, 2015.
Sim, who was the 14th prosecution witness, later confirmed receiving a RM300,000 cheque for the two months work via the firm’s RHB bank account in Bangsar.
Banker Badrul Hisham Mohamad, last week, verified that the cheque made payable to CENSE originated from an AmBank account linked to Najib.
Asked whether she had met Najib, Sim said: “Yes, but always in a group of people.”
Cross-examined by Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Sim said CENSE was hired to find out why the Chinese appeared to be anti-government.
Shafee: For what purpose were you hired?
Sim: They were trying to figure out issues affecting the Chinese as they were concerned and they wanted to know problems faced by the community.
Shafee: Was Najib concerned about the Chinese as a whole?
Sim: Yes
Sim explained that education and the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) were among issues that concerned the community, and all of this was sent as a report to the PMO.
Asked if her findings and analysis had garnered any action from the government, she replied in the affirmative and said allocation for vernacular schools was increased while budget allocations for SMEs – a majority of which are Chinese owned – was also increased.
Meanwhile, the next prosecution witness, Onn Hafiz Ghazi testified that he was a shareholder in a company called Vital Spire Sdn Bhd.
He said the company was paid RM240,000 to run online news portal The Malaysian Digest.
He said the portal was set up on Najib’s instructions.
Hafiz said Najib met him at the PMO, and he had received the cheque personally on Jan 30, 2015.
“He wrote and signed the cheque in front of me,” he said.
Hafiz said the news portal was set up to provide “accurate, fair and balanced reporting”.
Later, yet another witness revealed how Najib paid RM238,914 to a Chinese community leader known as Tan Sri Lim Soon Peng.
Najib’s former political secretary, Datuk Wong Nai Chee said the payment via a cheque was given to Lim to be disbursed to two other entities.
He said the payment was for AD Network and Akademi Kewartawanan dan Informasi Taima.
Wong revealed that AD Network operated the “Ah Jib Gor” Facebook page while the other company handled the publication of the Chinese weekly.
Wong said Lim was engaged to sort out the payment as the PMO could not have such a cheque issued by Najib to be “flying around”.
He said Lim was close to the Chinese grassroots and could rally the community for programmes such as those held during Chinese New Year.
He added that the “Ah Jib Gor” Facebook page was opened for the former prime minister to interact with the Chinese community while the weekly contained objective articles by prominent writers.
He said the articles provided a better understanding of the then Barisan Nasional government and its policies.
Najib is facing three counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and one count of abuse of power over funds amounting to RM42 million linked to SRC International.
He is also facing three money laundering charges over the same fund.
He faces up to 20 years jail and fine for the offences.
The trial continues.