Datuk Seri Najib Razak has consistently maintained that the RM42 million credited into his personal bank account was a donation from Saudi Arabia, his lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said.
Shafee clarified that Najib’s testimony in court yesterday has been misinterpreted as an admission that he knew the money was not a donation. Reports claimed Najib acknowledged the RM42 million came indirectly from SRC International (SRC) and its corporate social responsibility contractor, Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd, rather than from Saudi Arabia.
The former Pekan MP gave the testimony during cross-examination in SRC and its subsidiary Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd’s civil suit to reclaim the RM42 million deposited into Najib’s account.
“From the beginning, Najib received the funds believing they came from Saudi Arabia. He had no other knowledge and trusted that it was a donation from the late King Abdullah,” Shafee said at a press conference.
He added that Najib’s statement in court merely reflected the SRC criminal trial verdict, which ruled that the RM42 million was not a donation from Saudi Arabia.
“Based on his own knowledge, Najib still believes all the money he received—not just the RM42 million linked to SRC—came from Saudi Arabia,” Shafee said.
The civil trial before Judge Datuk Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan will resume on February 9.
Reports also noted that Najib agreed with SRC’s lawyer, Kwan Will Sen, that later information showed the RM42 million had no connection to a Saudi donation, but he insisted that at the time of receipt, he fully believed it was a gift from Saudi Arabia.
