Jepak Holding case: RM6.5 million was withdrawn from Saidi’s bank account-witness
KUALA LUMPUR: An assistant bank manager told the High Court yesterday that Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin had withdrawn RM6.5 million in cash from his bank account, through two separate transactions made in 2016 and 2017.
Low Ai Lin, 52, who has been working at Maybank’s Medan Tuanku branch here since 1992, said a cash withdrawal of RM5 million was made from Saidi’s Maybank Islamic account on Dec 20, 2016.
“I confirm that the cash withdrawal was made through a cheque numbered 198979 and I also confirm that the transaction was made at the Maybank branch counter,” she said, when reading from her statement on the 12th day of the corruption trial of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, concerning a hybrid solar project in Sarawak.
The 11th witness for the prosecution also confirmed that another cash withdrawal of RM1.5 million was made from the same account through a cheque numbered 169589, on Sept 7, 2017.
Low confirmed that RM6 million was deposited into Saidi’s bank account through a local bank transfer on Dec 20, 2016 before the RM5 million was withdrawn from the same account on the same day.
The witness told Deputy Public Prosecutor Najwa Bistamam that the note concerning the deposit, read as ‘Credit Inward RENTAS Jepak Holdings Sdn*R161220809450S Trsf’.
Low also confirmed that the Maybank Islamic account belonging to Saidi was active.
“The account statement is an appropriate document that reflects credit and debit transactions for the account.
“Based on the statement for the account, I confirm that the starting balance in the account was RM626,952.81,” she said, adding that upon conducting a check through the Maybank system on July 18, 2018, she found that the final balance in Saidi’s account was RM416.26.
When testifying about the opening of Saidi’s account which was a personal account, Low said it had been opened at the Medan Tuanku branch on March 27, 2009.
She however did not know which bank officer had attended to the opening of the account as the signature of the relevant officer was not in place.
Low went on to explain that normally, the bank officer handling the matter would sign the form required for the opening of an account.
Rosmah, 68, is on trial for soliciting RM187.5 million from Jepak Holdings to secure a RM1.25 billion hybrid solar contract to supply energy to 369 rural schools in Sarawak. She also faces two charges of receiving RM6.5 million in bribes from Jepak Holdings managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin, through her assistant at the time, Datuk Rizal Mansor.
She is charged with committing the offences at three separate places, namely Lygon Cafe, Sunway Putra Mall, Jalan Putra here; her residence at Jalan Langgak Duta, Taman Duta here; and the Seri Perdana Residence, Persiaran Seri Perdana, Precinct 10, Putrajaya, between January 2016 and Sept 7, 2017.
Hearing before Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues today.
Bernama
