Ismee Ismail, 59, said he did not even have Najib’s mobile phone number and he hardly met him to discuss matters pertaining to SRC International during his tenure with the government-linked company.
During cross-examination by Najib’s counsel Harvinderjit Singh, Ismee rejected the assertion that he was merely a puppet for Najib.
Harvinderjit: You never questioned him (Najib) about whatever he told you? You just did what he said?
Ismee: I don’t think so.
Harvinderjit: Do you have his (Najib’s) personal mobile number?
Ismee: No.
Besides holding the twin positions of prime minister and finance minister, Najib was also chairman of 1MDB’s board of advisers and adviser emeritus of its subsidiary SRC International.
Ismee was testifying in a civil suit brought by SRC International against Najib and former SRC International CEO Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil over claims of breaches of trust and duty.
The duo are being sued for wrongfully receiving company property, and dishonestly and wrongfully conspiring to convert company property to their own use.
The suit originally included former SRC International CEO Azhar Osman Khairuddin and former SRC International directors Ismee, Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, Suboh Yasin and Che Abdullah @ Rashidi Che Omar as co-defendants.
SRC International later dropped the case against them. However, they were added as third parties by Najib.
Under its new management, SRC International filed a suit in May 2021 claiming that Najib had committed breach of trust and abuse of power. The suit also claimed Najib had misappropriated the company’s funds and had personally benefitted from it.
It is also seeking a court declaration that Najib is responsible for the company’s losses due to his breach of duties and trust, and for Najib to pay back the RM42 million in losses that it had suffered.
Najib, 70, has been serving a jail sentence at Kajang prison since Aug 23, 2022, after being convicted of misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds.
He filed a petition for a royal pardon on Sept 2, 2022, and the Federal Territories Pardons Board in January this year halved Najib’s jail term from 12 years to six, with the fine reduced from RM210 million to RM50 million.
The hearing before Justice Ahmad Fairuz Zainol Abidin continues.