KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Former Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa told the High Court, here, today that the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) audit report coordination meeting on Feb 24, 2016 would not have taken place if the meeting with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak did not happen two days earlier.
The fourth prosecution witness who was under re-examination by lead prosecutor, Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram was referring to the meeting at the former premier’s office on Feb 22, 2016, where Najib had requested not to include the issue of two versions of the financial statement in the 1MDB audit report.
Previously, Ali had testified that during the coordination meeting chaired by him, there were four issues agreed upon to be removed from the 1MDB audit report, including two conflicting versions of the company’s 2014 financial report.
Sri Ram: If the meeting on Feb 22 did not take place, would the Feb 24 meeting have taken place?
Ali: It would not have taken place because when the prime minister (Najib) promised that he would ‘get to the bottom of it’, the (former) Auditor-General (Tan Sri Ambrin Buang) agreed to attend the (Feb 24) meeting.
Ali, 65, was testifying at the trial of Najib, 67, who was charged with using his position to order amendments to the 1MDB final audit report which was already ‘finalised’ by the Auditor-General before the report was ‘finalised again’ and presented before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to avoid any action being taken against him.
In the case, former 1MDB chief executive officer, Arul Kanda Kandasamy, 44, was charged with abetting Najib in making amendments to the report to protect the Pekan MP from being subjected to disciplinary, civil or criminal action in connection with 1MDB.
They were charged under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Earlier, during cross-examination by Najib’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Ali said the former prime minister seemed upset during the meeting on Feb 22, which was also attended by Ambrin and Najib’s former principal private secretary, Tan Sri Shukry Salleh.
Muhammad Shafee: Would you know the reason why Najib was upset?
Ali: Not exactly.
Muhammad Shafee: You saw (Najib was upset) as soon as you walked into the room (Najib’s office).
Ali: Yes.
Muhammad Shafee: Even when you left the room, you did not know what would probably have caused the prime minister to look upset.
Ali: I did not get the answer for that as nobody explained to me.
The witness who held his post until August 2018 and who is now a retiree, also said that he was informed by Najib that talking points would be provided when he chaired the coordination meeting on Feb 24.
Ali had earlier testified that he was referring to the talking points given by the Prime Minister’s Office when he was asked how he brought up the specific issues pertaining to the audit report at the meeting, even though he mentioned earlier that he only knew the issues in general, which were related to the two conflicting financial statements in the audit report.
Asked by Muhammad Shafee whether he had pressured Ambrin to make the changes to the audit report, the prosecution witness reiterated that he did not.
Muhammad Shafee: If someone claimed that he or she saw Ambrin literally exhausted and drained of his energy when he left the (meeting) room on Feb 24, what would be your comment.
Ali: (The meeting) ended on a jovial note. I did send him to the door and he was normal.
The trial before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues tomorrow.
–NNN-BERNAMA