RM1 mln deposited into Shahrir's joint account with wife - Bank manager

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court was today told that there was a deposit of RM1 million made into a Public Islamic Bank joint account in the name of Tan Sri Shahrir Ab Samad and his wife, Puan Sri Shahrizan Abdullah, through a cheque on Nov 28, 2013.

Banking Services Manager of Public Islamic Bank Berhad from Bukit Damansara branch, Mohd Farid M. Alnafiah, 40, said the copy of the AmIslamic Bank's RM1 million cheque in the name of Shahrir dated Nov 27, 2013, was made from the AmIslamic Bank Berhad account number 2022011906.

"Based on the account statement, I confirm that on Nov 25, 2013, the balance in the (joint) account was RM82,324.96 (before the RM1 million deposit)," he said during examination-in-chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor Rasyidah Murni Azmi in the trial of the Johor Bahru MP who was charged with failing to declare the RM1 million he received from Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).

The witness said the RM1 million cheque was successfully processed and cleared as there was no doubt.

However, he said there was a withdrawal of RM200,000 through a cheque dated Dec 2, 2013, from the joint account by Shahrizan, which was later deposited into a Public Bank Berhad joint account in the name of Shahrizan and her daughter, Marisa Diyana Shahrir.

Mohd Farid said that based on Shahrizan and Marisa's joint account statement on Nov 27, 2013, the balance in the account was RM2,287,589.77 and the ending balance on Dec 6, 2013, was RM2,533,272.24.

To Shahrir's lawyer Datuk Syed Faisal Al-Edros Syed Abdullah Al-Edros' question, the witness said he did not know whether the RM200,000 withdrawn by Shahrizan was a refund from Shahrir.

Syed Faisal Al-Edros: Do you have any knowledge of whether the RM200,000 was a refund from Tan Sri Shahrir for the money he borrowed from his wife to carry out his political activities in Johor Bahru and to revive the Puri Langkasuka project in Larkin?

Mohd Farid: No, I don't.

The witness, however, confirmed that Shahrir had made 20 bank transactions totalling RM1,223,680 between June 4 to Oct 17, 2013.

When asked by another lawyer representing the MP, Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad, the bank manager said the LHDN did not take his statement during the investigations into the case, while the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) only asked for the submission of documents.

"I also confirmed that there was a money transfer from Tan Sri Shahrir's Public Islamic Bank account to YM Auto Wheels Enterprise totalling RM180,000 on March 31, 2014, based on the signature on the slip," he said.

Shahrir, 72, was charged with money laundering by not stating his real income in the Income Tax Return Form for Assessment Year 2013, which is a violation of Section 113(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 1967, on the RM1 million, believed to be from unlawful activities, which he received from Najib which was deposited into his Public Islamic Bank account.

He was charged with committing the offence at LHDN, Duta Branch, Government Office Complex, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim here on April 25, 2014.

The charge, framed under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, provides a maximum fine of RM5 million, or imprisonment for up to five years, or both, if found guilty.

The trial before Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin continues tomorrow.

-- BERNAMA