Late Saudi ruler pledged ‘donation’ to help Najib win 2013 polls, says ex-envoy

(FMT) – The High Court in Najib Razak’s SRC International corruption trial heard today that the late King Abdullah Abdul Aziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia offered financial aid to help the ex-prime minister win the 2013 general election.

Former Malaysian envoy to the Arab kingdom Syed Omar Al-Saggaf said that he was made to understand that the monarch pledged the donation at an unofficial meeting between a delegation led by Najib and King Abdullah.

He said the meeting took place on Jan 11, 2010, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Reading his witness statement, Syed Omar, who is the fourth defence witness, said that the unofficial meeting took place just before Najib’s official visit to Saudi Arabia from Jan 13 to 16 the same year.

He said at the end of the official discussion, he saw King Abdullah, Najib, the then minister in charge of Islamic affairs Jamil Khir Baharom step away from the meeting venue and walk to the middle of the meeting hall.

“They were seen to be intently discussing something. After the (Jan 11) meeting ended, I was made to understand that King Abdullah had offered aid in the form of funds which would be sent for use by Najib in the general election,” he said.

Syed Omar, who was ambassador to the country for 10 years until 2018, said he remembered that King Abdullah had praised Najib for administering a multi-religious society although Muslims were the majority in his opening remarks at the official meeting.

He said the monarch had also expressed his concern about the development of political turmoil in Islamic nations which finally resulted in the Arab Spring.

Also present at the meeting was former foreign minister Anifah Aman, who is scheduled to testify for Najib in this trial.

Cross-examined by ad-hoc prosecutor V Sithambaram, the witness said he personally did not know about the donation and its purpose.

“This is what Najib told me after the meeting,” he said.

Sithambaram: I put it to you that the so-called donation to Najib was an interference in the internal affairs of Malaysia.

Syed Omar: I don’t know.

Sithambaram: Did you hear from King Abdullah himself that he was giving money for the 2013 election?

Syed Omar: No.

Sithambaram: Would you expect King Abdullah to fulfil his promises to give a donation?

Syed Omar: As far as I know he honours all pledges.

Sithambaram: Do you expect donations to be returned to King Abdullah?

Syed Omar: So far, I have not heard that donations were returned.

Sithambaram then said evidence had shown that in 2011, Najib received almost US$100 million from Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and the finance ministry in Riyadh, and in 2012, he obtained another US$270 million from Prince Faisal and Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partners.

In 2013, he is said to have received US$681 million but returned US$620 million after the general election that year.

Sithambaram said Najib was scheduled to obtain £50 million from the Saudi royal family but only received £10 million in 2014.

He said one of the six tranches from the £10 million came as a loan.

Syed Omar said he would be surprised if the so-called donation came as a loan.

Najib is accused of abusing his power as prime minister by giving government guarantees on SRC International’s RM4 billion loan from Retirement Fund Inc.

He is also charged with three counts of money laundering and three counts of criminal breach of trust in the transfer of RM42 million to his accounts from the former 1MDB unit.

The prosecution is saying that he had knowledge that the RM42 million came from SRC International where RM32 million was used to pay Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd and Permai Binaraya Sdn Bhd in December 2014.

Another RM10 million that was deposited into his account in February 2015 was apparently used to pay individuals and political parties.

The defence is saying that the RM42 million was part of the Arab money and rogue bankers worked with fugitive financier Low Taek Jho to manipulate his accounts.

Hearing before judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali is adjourned to tomorrow.