However, the former Bank Negara Malaysia governor said she rejected the request as she had no knowledge of the transactions in the accounts.
“He accepted my decision,” Zeti told the High Court hearing Najib’s 1MDB corruption trial.
“However, after my meeting with the (then) prime minister, a (then) minister also made the same request to me,” Zeti said, adding that it was similarly rejected.
She did not name the minister in question.
Zeti also said she did not know that the RM2.6 billion deposited into Najib’s account in 2013 had come from 1MDB.
“AmBank did not report to BNM the more than 500 transactions relating to the account that were suspicious or irregular as required under Amla (the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act).
“Following the investigations, AmBank acknowledged these non-disclosures, false reporting and their failure in compliance with the prudential regulations,” she said.
In 2015, it was reported that AmBank was fined RM53.7 million by BNM over non-compliance with certain regulations.
The penalty was related to actions committed under Section 234 of the Financial Services Act 2013 and Section 245 of the Islamic Financial Services Act 2013 by AmBank and AmBank Islamic.
I complained twice about 1MDB but got no response, says Zeti
In her testimony, Zeti also told the court that she had on July 23, 2014 and Jan 16, 2015 sent two letters to Najib to bring to the then PM’s attention the massive debts accumulated by 1MDB.
Zeti said her letters highlighted the debts’ potential implications on Malaysia’s sovereign ratings and on the government’s overall fiscal position in the event of a default by 1MDB.
“BNM did not receive any response (from Najib),” she said in reply to a question by deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib.
Zeti added that Najib had knowledge of the state of affairs in 1MDB since 2013 as he had attended BNM’s financial stability committee meetings in his capacity as the then finance minister.
“One of our agenda (items) was to discuss any corporation which had debts over RM2 billion.
“1MDB was first on the list. They can be described as a ‘systemically important organisation’.
“If something happened to them, it would have rampant implications on our banking system and economy,” she said.
The hearing continues on Aug 14 before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
Najib is standing trial on 25 charges for abuse of power and money laundering involving 1MDB funds amounting to RM2.28 billion deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.