Ambank honoured Najib’s bounced cheques
KUALA LUMPUR: Former AmBank Relationship Manager Joanna Yu Ging Ping told the High Court that the bank honoured then prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s bounced cheques even when his account was overdrawn.
This was due to Najib’s status and position at that time as both prime minister and finance minister.
Elaborating on her role, she said the bank would inform her. She would then contact Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, who is a mandate holder for Najib’s accounts, to inform him to immediately remedy the overdrawn accounts.
She also testified that the elusive fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, contacted her in early 2011 to enquire about the current and savings account opened by Najib at Ambank.
Yu was testifying at Najib’s trial. The former premier is facing seven charges related to RM42 million that he allegedly received from SRC International, a former subsidiary of troubled fund company, 1MDB.
Najib is facing one power abuse, three money laundering and three criminal breach of trust charges.
Yu also confirmed that she could not directly access the account.
Sithambaram: Can you access the customer account of Najib from your computer terminal?
Joanna: No, we (relationship managers) have to contact the branch (Jalan Raja Chulan branch where Najib’s current and savings accounts were). It is client privilege.
She also testified on the role played by Jho Low regarding the account held by Najib.
“He (Jho Low) would address the overdrawn issue and have the cheques cleared,” she says, adding that Jho Low could accomplish this even though he himself was never an official mandate holder for the former premier’s accounts.
“At certain instances, I would inform him (Jho Low) as I could not reach out to Nik, he would say ‘okay’ and then somebody would put in a cash deposit (into Najib’s overdrawn accounts), or he would get Nik to contact me,” she said.
By K Pragalath
