KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Former Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had full control over the administration of SRC International Sdn Bhd based on the amendment to the company’s Articles of Association.
Tan Sri Ismee Ismail, 54, a former member of SRC International Sdn Bhd’s board of directors said this in response to deputy public prosecutor Datuk Ishak Mohd Yusoff who referred him to the amendment to Article 117 which was added into the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the company by Najib, who is also SRC Advisor Emeritus.
Ishak: What does Article 117 imply?
Ismee: Article 117 implies that SRC must take into consideration the Advisor Emeritus’ advice in material and strategic matters as well as execute the advice.
Ishak: Who was the Advisor Emeritus?
Ismee: Najib, who was also Prime Minister at the time.
Ishak: Did the Advisor Emeritus have control over SRC’s board of directors and the company?
Ismee: Should have control.
The 39th witness said he was not told why there was an amendment to Article 117 in the minutes of the company’s extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on April 23, 2012.
Cross-examined by Najib’s lawyer Harvinderjit Singh, Ismee admitted he did not witness Najib signing the minutes of the EGM on April 23, 2012 which passed the amendment to the company’s Memorandum of Association.
The amendment was to add Article 117 into SRC International’s memorandum of association, which led to Najib’s appointment as advisor emeritus of the company.
The witness also admitted that he was only relying on what SRC International director Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil had told the company’s board of directors in a meeting on June 8, 2012.
Ismee said he only realised that the meeting minutes did not contain his signature when Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer Rosli pointed it out to him.
Harvinderjit: Did the MACC officer request from you any specific document?
Ismee: No, but Rosli asked me whether I had any more documents related to SRC at home. So, I went back home to search and I found the document in my briefcase.
Najib, 66, faces three counts of criminal breach of trust, one charge of power abuse and three counts of money laundering involving SRC International Sdn Bhd funds totalling RM42 million.
NNN-BERNAMA