R Uma Devi, the manager of AmBank’s Jalan Raja Chulan branch, said this when cross-examined by Najib’s lawyer Harvinderjit Singh.
Harvinderjit: If an account holder has never seen the bank statement and it was kept away from him, would you agree that the account holder would not be liable for his account?
Uma: The account holder can be liable for all transactions.
Harvinderjit: Even if there are errors, discrepancies, irregularities, unauthorised withdrawals and fraudulent transactions, can Najib be liable for any wrongdoing in his account?
As Uma attempted to answer the question, ad-hoc prosecutor V Sithambaram stood up and said the question would lead to conjecture and Harvinderjit did not pursue the matter further.
The 21st prosecution witness was testifying in the trial of the former prime minister, who is facing six charges of money laundering and criminal breach of trust in the transfer of RM42 million to his account from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.
He is also accused of abusing his power as prime minister and finance minister by giving government guarantees on SRC International’s RM4 billion loan from Retirement Fund Inc.
Najib, who is Pekan MP, is said to have committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Bhd on Jalan Raja Chulan and at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya between Aug 17, 2011 and Feb 10, 2015.
Uma said she was intensively questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and the police over SRC, 1MDB and Najib’s five accounts opened at the Raja Chulan Ambank branch.
She was appointed branch manager on July 1, 2015. BNM conducted a search five days later to obtain documents following the setting up of the task force to probe SRC, 1MDB and Najib’s bank accounts.
Uma said she handed over eight folders that contained account details of Najib, SRC and Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd.
“Two or three days later, BNM investigators called me to wrap up their investigations and I had to give a statement,” she said.
The witness said about two weeks later, MACC officers came to meet her and many statements were recorded from her.
“I did not ask why so many statements were being taken. I just followed their instructions,” said Uma, who has been in the witness stand since yesterday morning.
She said MACC returned to take more statements after the general election last year.
Uma said, recently, the police also recorded her statement.
Hearing before judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali continues.