KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today heard that chief executive officer of SRC International Sdn Bhd, Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil may have forged its non–executive director, Datuk Suboh Md Yassin’s signatures on bank documents related to the transfer of funds by SRC.
The transfer of funds was alleged to involve millions of ringgit from SRC to its two subsidiaries Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd and Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd.
This was disclosed by lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah who was lead counsel for Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when cross–examining Suboh during Najib’s SRC trial today where the defence had used a projector machine to compare Suboh’s signatures on several hardcopies and scanned documents.
The lawyer raised an issue how all Suboh’s signatures on 11 bank documents on scanned copies were identical which have same sizes and structures and matched perfectly and how Suboh’s signatures on hard copies were totally different from scanned copies.
Muhammad Shafee described that the differences of Suboh’s signatures on hard copies and scanned documents were like “an elephant and a mouse” which brought a burst of laughter from the people in court.
Muhammad Shafee : I think you are quite satisfied that I have conclusively proven that your signatures on hard copies had been forged and had been scanned to the bank as if they were the original and real documents.
What is interesting is you can find out from all these documents (documents of money transfer from SRC to two of its subsidiaries). You see the signature of Nik Faisal, there is no problem ... I put it to you Nik Faisal forged your signature?
Suboh : May be
Muhammad Shafee : May be? But we have shown you quite conclusively and you were quite satisfied with what I have shown you?
Suboh : Yes
Muhammad Shafee : Will you agree with me that the person you trusted was Nik Faisal who saw that you were a very trusty person. There is nothing wrong to be a trusty person, but he saw this? Yes?
Suboh : Yes, may be.
Muhammad Shafee : You now agree with me that because there are differences in the signatures between hard copies and scanned copies, you could not have consented to the transfer of money, it was only Nik Faisal who did it, purportedly he did it when you were not involved?
Suboh : Yes
To another suggestion by Muhammad Shafee that Nik Faisal might have seen his (Suboh) weakness that caused him to take advantage by purportedly forging his signatures, Suboh replied “Yes”.
The witness also agreed with the lawyer’s suggestion that Nik Faisal had misled him by painting a wrong picture that he had support from “higher up (Najib)”.
Suboh also answered in the affirmative when asked that he did not make confirmation with Najib and never followed up the matter with Najib.
“Yes, may be at the same time I was not very well. I had been in the hospital up to the time until I had done my bypass (surgery),” he said.
The hearing before Justice Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali continues tomorrow. — Bernama
