Najib himself gave Shahrir RM1 million cheque, MACC officer tells court

An investigating officer from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today her investigation revealed that Najib Razak himself had given a cheque worth RM1 million to Shahrir Ab Samad in 2013.

MACC assistant superintendent Nurzahidah Yacop, 35, said the former prime minister was also the one who wrote and signed the AmIslamic Bank cheque before giving it to Shahrir when they were at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya on Nov 27, 2013.

Nurzahidah said the following day, there was a deposit of RM1 million in Shahrir’s Public Bank account and that several withdrawals were made from that account involving RM997,285 between Dec 2, 2013, and March 31, 2014.

"Of the total withdrawals, RM543,800 was used to implement the Puri Langkasuka housing rehabilitation (Seri Anugerah) project in Larkin, Johor Bahru, and RM10,000 was for the Taman Kebuh Teh Umno branch.

"Apart from that, a total of RM443,485 was believed to have been withdrawn for his (Shahrir's) personal use, including RM200,000 which was transferred into Public Bank fixed deposit accounts belonging to his wife Shahrizan Abdullah and daughter Marisa Diyana. RM115,000 was transferred into Shahrir’s fixed deposit account at Maybank and another RM118,485 into the Sutera Auto Sdn Bhd account," she said.

Nurzahidah said this when reading her witness statement at the trial of the former Johor Bahru MP, who has been charged with failing to declare RM1 million received from Najib to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).

On Aug 8, the seventh prosecution witness, Sutera Auto Sdn Bhd account executive Rozana Khalid, 43, told the court that Shahrir had bought a Honda Civic Hybrid car worth RM118,485, and completed the payment in just one cheque, on Dec 21, 2013.

Nurzahidah said the investigation also found that Shahrir had never declared receiving the funds, even if it was deemed as his income.

She said this was confirmed by Shahrir’s tax information for the years 2013 to 2018 showing no declaration of income exceeding RM1 million in the Form BE submitted by the former Felda chairman.

Shahrir, 72, was charged with laundering money by failing to state his real income in the income tax return form for the assessment year of 2013, a violation of Section 113(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 1967, regarding the RM1 million, believed to be from unlawful activities, which he received from Najib through a cheque.
 
He was charged with committing the offence at LHDN, Duta branch, Government Office Complex, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim on April 25, 2014.

The charge, framed under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, provides for a maximum fine of RM5 million, imprisonment of up to five years, or both upon conviction.

The trial before judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin continues tomorrow.