Bakke, a witness in Najib’s 1MDB money laundering and power abuse trial, said he received a phone call from the former prime minister two weeks before he was scheduled to testify before the PAC on Feb 11, 2016.
“I received a call from the prime minister where he asked me to meet Hasan (then PAC chairman Hasan Arifin) at Ahmad Farid Ridzuan’s house in Kiara Hills,” he said when cross-examined by Najib’s lawyer, Shafee Abdullah.
Farid is the former Media Prima Bhd CEO.
“If I could recall the kind of words he (Najib) used, he wanted me to meet them ‘just to make sure we all understand roughly what is to be said at (the) PAC (hearing)’.
“The concern was to safeguard the PM’s reputation and to save his reputation.”
Bakke said he met Hasan and Farid on two occasions before Feb 11, 2016.
He said former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi was present at the first meeting, and Arul Kanda Kandasamy, who later took over as CEO, was present at the second meeting.
Previously Shahrol told the court he was “coached” to downplay Najib and Low Taek Jho’s (commonly known as Jho Low) involvement in 1MDB.
“I was under the impression that Hasan and Farid were trying to get me to be ‘accommodating’, and not be ‘too hard’ in my testimony. Also, Jho Low’s name was taboo.
“(They said to me) try not to make (any) reference to the prime minister, and just talk about the management team,” Bakke said, adding it was as if the meetings were to give him “subtle guidelines” on testifying before the PAC.
“Alhamdulillah I knew what to say and I wouldn’t let them influence me.”
Shafee then asked Bakke why he did not inform the PAC that he had sent Najib an SMS to inform him of his intention to quit and raise his concerns on 1MDB’s state of affairs.
“Honestly, the hearing was six years ago,” Bakke replied, adding he could not recall if he told the PAC about his reasons for resigning.
“I was not given a copy of the proceedings (Hansard) for me to check. So I doubt I answered in that fashion as recorded,” he said.
Shafee then told him that no one who appeared before the PAC or any other parliamentary select committee would be given a chance to check the Hansard.
Shafee: I am suggesting to you that you did not tell PAC that you SMSed the prime minister, until today, and I’m saying you are not honest.
Bakke: Never mind, it’s okay. No comment.
Najib is standing trial for 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering over funds amounting to RM2.28 billion which were deposited into his bank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.
The hearing before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.