Former Kedah Umno chief Jamil Khir Baharom said he did not conduct checks to determine if funds contributed to the state chapter really originated from Saudi Arabia. (Bernama pic)
PUTRAJAYA: A former minister told the High Court that Najib Razak was not obliged to inform his Cabinet about a purported donation received from the late Saudi King Abdullah.
Jamil Khir Baharom, who was religious affairs minister, said this was because the donation was meant for political purposes and not for the country.
“(Najib) did not inform the Cabinet,” he said, when asked by the prosecution whether the “donation” had been discussed at Cabinet meetings.
Jamil added that Kedah Umno was told during past meetings of “contributions” Najib made to the state chapter. Jamil, the former Kedah Umno chief, also claimed Najib’s funds originated from Saudi Arabia.
The former minister was testifying as a defence witness at Najib’s trial.
Deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar then asked Jamil whether he conducted checks to determine if the funds really originated from Saudi Arabia.
Jamil told the court: “There was no need to.”
Kamal: Did you know how much Datuk Seri (Najib) received from King Abdullah?
Jamil: I don’t know.
I was there when Najib met King Abdullah, says witness
Jamil said he was one of those who attended Najib’s meeting with King Abdullah on Jan 11, 2010, along with ex-foreign minister Anifah Aman and the former Malaysian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Syed Omar Al-Saggaf.
Jamil said Najib told him that King Abdullah had wanted to make a contribution.
Kamal pointed out to the witness that during Najib’s previous SRC International trial, a newsletter showed that Jamil had attended a Prime Minister’s Department gathering on the same day.
“Were you here or in Saudi Arabia?” Kamal asked.
Jamil said that he attended the Prime Minister’s Department gathering in the morning, but left for Saudi Arabia soon after.
The hearing continues before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
Najib is standing trial on 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering over funds amounting to RM2.28 billion which were deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.
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