PUTRAJAYA, March 26 — Then finance minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak did not have an interest in the federal government’s taking over — through the Ministry of Finance — of Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA) Berhad from the Terengganu state government, former Umno minister Tan Sri Noh Omar told the High Court today.
Noh, 67, said this while testifying for about two hours as the 15th defence witness in former Umno president Najib’s trial.
Noh was formerly in the same Cabinet as Najib, both when the latter was deputy prime minister and prime minister.
In this trial, more than RM2 billion of 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s (1MDB) money was alleged to have entered Najib’s personal bank accounts, while Najib has continued to insist the money were personal donations from Saudi Arabia to him.
Deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar today suggested to Noh: “I say that based on those facts, Datuk Seri Najib Razak actually has an interest, tendency to ensure TIA is taken over by the federal government, agree or not?”
Noh replied: “I do not agree.”
This is related to Najib’s first power abuse charge in this 1MDB trial. He faces a total of 25 charges of power abuse and money laundering in the trial.
Under the first power abuse charge, Najib is accused of having used his position to benefit himself by more than RM60 million, by taking actions such as approving the federal government’s takeover of TIA during a July 29, 2009 Cabinet meeting and causing TIA’s name to be changed to 1MDB.
Najib was appointed to be the prime minister on April 3, 2009 and was also still the finance minister then, and is also accused in this trial of having a direct interest in the company 1MDB.
Earlier, Noh was referred to the minutes of an April 1, 2009 Cabinet meeting, when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was the prime minister and when Najib was both the deputy prime minister and finance minister.
Kamal Baharin had asked if Najib had declared to the Cabinet that he has interests in TIA — which later became 1MDB — in this Cabinet meeting, when Najib was presenting a Finance Ministry memorandum on TIA then.
Noh questioned why, before saying that Najib did not make such a declaration.
Noh later added that he was “shocked” (terkejut) with this question, and reaffirmed that Najib did not make such a declaration of interest in TIA.
Earlier, Noh also told Najib’s lead defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah that he did not think Najib had the intention or tendency to have the federal government take over TIA through the Finance Ministry.
Najib’s 1MDB trial before trial judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah resumes tomorrow morning, with Najib’s lawyers expected to continue asking questions to the 11th defence witness, Senior Assistant Commissioner R. Rajagopal.
