The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) forensics technology division investigating officer, Wan Firdaus Wan Yusof, also said he did know whether the term “chocolate” for “Big Boss” was made in reference to Lim, the then Penang chief minister.
The term “chocolate” was previously explained as being a reference to a RM2 million payment.
Cross-examined by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, the eighth prosecution witness also conceded that the WhatsApp conversation between Zarul and Gnanaraja running from Aug 18 to Sep 1, 2017 was incomplete.
He said based on the conversation, it appears that the “chocolate” was for a person who celebrated his birthday on July 23 and lived in Taman Duta.
Gobind: I put it to you that the WhatsApp conversation tendered by the prosecution was not complete.
Wan Firdaus: Yes.
Gobind: I put it to you that the WhatsApp conversation produced by the defence from July 21, 2017 to Aug 18, 2017 clearly shows that “Big Boss” is not the accused.
Wan Firdaus: I don’t know.
Gobind: Were you aware that the WhatsApp conversation in this case is incomplete?
Wan Firdaus: Yes.
Gobind: Did you personally prepare the complete report for the Shah Alam case?
Firdaus: Yes.
Gobind: I put it to you that “Big Boss” is ex-prime minister Najib Razak.
Firdaus: I don’t know.
Gobind: I put it to you that the prosecution did not produce the full WhatsApp conversation and this amounts to suppression of evidence.
Wan Firdaus: I don’t know.
Re-examined by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, the witness agreed that based on the conversation, only Zarul and Gnanaraja would know who they were referring to as “Big Boss”.
Firdaus had prepared two forensic reports of the same conversation between Zarul and Gnanaraja.
The first was for the trial of Gnanaraja, who is charged with three counts of cheating Zarul of RM19 million.
He was alleged to have deceived Zarul into believing that he could help the latter close ongoing MACC investigations into money laundering activities.
The prosecution in Lim’s trial only presented the conversation between Aug 18 and Sept 1 but omitted the conversation between July 21 and Aug 17.
However, trial judge Azura Alwi last year ordered the prosecution to produce the forensic report of the conversation between July 21 and Aug 18.
Zarul, in his evidence earlier, said that the term “chocolate” referred to RM2 million, and that it was meant for Lim.
Lim is standing trial on charges of using his position as then chief minister to ask Zarul for a 10% profit cut from the undersea tunnel project and accepting RM3.3 million in kickbacks from the businessman.
He is also accused of two counts of dishonestly misappropriating RM208.7 million worth of state land from two companies.
The hearing was adjourned to Sept 18.