Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had used at least RM1 billion of the RM3.2 billion in his personal bank account that included funds from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the High Court heard today.
Former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz said this while testifying as the 46th prosecution witness in Najib’s trial, where RM2.28 billion of 1MDB funds were alleged to have entered the latter’s private bank accounts.
Najib’s lead defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah tried to suggest that his client was charged in court when the blame for the billions of money flowing out of 1MDB should purportedly be with 1MDB’s board and management, BNM, and AmBank.
Shafee: I put it to you, you notice the fault is 1MDB board, management, Bank Negara, and AmBank. And who is in the accused dock is the former prime minister who did nothing in these transactions. I’m putting it to you, is there anything that can show that the prime minister and finance minister was involved in this hoodwinking?
Zeti: Well, RM3.2 billion went into his account and he expended at least RM1 billion, and this was partly 1MDB’s monies.

Shafee then tried to suggest that there was a double standard when Najib claimed to not know about the money in his accounts previously.
Shafee: You too said at that time I didn’t know, now I know. But when the prime minister said at that time, I didn’t know, now I know, you say it’s wrong. Why is there double standard, why? You tell me. I think Yang Arif, we stop there.
Zeti: I disagree it’s a double standard.
The High Court proceedings this afternoon then ended, as Shafee said he will continue cross-examining Zeti tomorrow.
Earlier today, Zeti told the High Court that both she and BNM did not know about a sum of RM2.6 billion in Najib’s AmBank account before the 13th general election (GE13) in 2013 and that BNM only discovered after a raid on AmBank in 2015 that the actual sum of money that went into Najib’s account was RM3.2 billion. – MMO