KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — A RM13,800 cheque was issued from Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s AmIslamic bank account to the wife of a former aide who died from cancer, the High Court was told on the sixth day of Najib’s RM42mil SRC International Sdn Bhd trial.
Manisah Othman, who is the 12th witness, said she had received the RM13,800 cheque from Najib for her children’s education as Najib had promised to look after them following the death of her husband, Amirudin Mohd Baria.
“The cheque was given to me by a person named Khairul, who is a colleague of my late husband in the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office).
“I received the cheque shortly after Najib visited my late husband, Amirudin Mohd Baria who was warded at the Prince Court Medical Centre for cancer treatment,” she said, adding that her husband had passed away in 2013 due to stage four colon cancer.
Manisah, who works as a statistician in the Department of Statistics Malaysia, had earlier told the court that Amirudin had worked as Najib’s private secretary during the latter’s tenure as Education Minister between 1995 and 2000.
She added that when Najib became the deputy prime minister, her husband was seconded to work with him as a Boustead Holdings liaison officer at the Prime Minister’s Office until Najib became the prime minister.
When cross-examined by Najib’s lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, she testified that her family had received two other cheques from Najib in 2013 and 2014.
“In the year my husband died, I received a cheque totalling around RM9,000 and another cheque for RM29,520 the next year,” she said.
She was then shown both cheques for the amounts and then acknowledged receiving them.
In total, she had received RM52,320 from Najib, all for the tertiary education expenses of her two boys aged 23 and 27.
However, she disclosed that she stopped receiving similar cheques from Khairul after 2015 and that she assumed Najib did not know her children have yet to complete their studies.
RM400,000 for welfare home in Pekan
Meanwhile, Rumah Penyayang Tun Abdul Razak trustee Abdul Munir Othman confirmed receiving RM400,000 from Najib through Najib’s AmIslamic account on Feb 12, 2015.
Abdul Munir who testified as the 11th witness, said he received the said amount in written cheque from Najib, who was the welfare home’s patron, at the latter’s office but could not recall which office it was.
“It is a long time ago... four years ago but I received it from Najib in his office. It is either in the PMO or the Ministry of Finance,” he said when examined by deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi.
Rumah Penyayang Tun Abdul Razak was constructed in 2004 and began operation in January 2005 in Kampong Ulu Parit, in Pekan, Pahang.
Abdul Munir said the welfare home was founded by the Rahah Foundation that was named after Najib’s mother Tun Rahah Mohamed Noah.
Abdul Munir, who is one of four trustees, explained that the cheque was addressed to Trustees of Rumah Penyayang Tun Razak and that the RM400,000 contribution was used to fulfill the various needs of orphans at the welfare home.
Some of the RM400,000 were used for expenditures including accommodation, food, clothing, transportation and schooling for the orphans.
Asked by Muhammad Saifuddin who determined the amount stipulated on the cheque, Abdul Munir said Najib had wrote the RM400,000 amount after he requested for the amount.
“If the money is insufficient, I will ask for it,” he said.
Cross-examined by Najib’s lawyer Harvinderjit Singh, Abdul Munir confirmed he had received cheques in the past from Najib for the expenses for the welfare home.
Both Abdul Munir and Manisah are among 15 recipients of cheques totalling over RM10.77 million issued under two AmIslamic Bank accounts that were registered under Najib’s name, based on court documents produced in court previously.
