KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak (pix) told the High Court here today that he was not aware if the cabinet approval for government guarantees on the RM4 billion loan by the Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP) to SRC International Sdn Bhd were ever tabled in Parliament.
He said whether the matter was tabled in Parliament was the duty of the functionary (official who is involved in public administration or government).
“We have no verification whether the (approval for) government guarantees were tabled in Parliament. It is the duty of the functionary ... It is an administrative action,“ he said during cross-examination by ad-hoc prosecutor Datuk V. Sithambaram.
Sithambaram than referred to Section 2 (3) of the Loans Guarantee (Bodies Corporation) Act which stated that the Minister shall as soon as possible lay before the Dewan Rakyat a statement of the guarantee together with a copy of the agreement.
Sithambaram: I put it to you that this government guarantees were never laid before the Dewan Rakyat?
Najib: I do not know.
Sithambaram: Do you know the purpose of laying it before the Dewan Rakyat is for all (MPs) to know?
Najib: Yes, for transparency.
Najib also admitted that there was no Parliament Hansard to confirm that the matter was ever tabled in Parliament and disagreed with Sithambaram that it was the duty of the minister, as provided under the law, to table any government guarantee to the house.
The prosecution grilled Najib for 12 days and today wrapped up its cross-examination against the former finance minister.
Defence lawyer Farhan Read then began his re-examination on Najib.
Najib is making his defence on seven charges of misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds, comprising three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering and one count of abuse of position in relation to the SRC funds.
The hearing before Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali continues. - Bernama
