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KUALA LUMPUR – Former Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah told the high court here today that he had received payments amounting to RM521,774 from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) via two cheques in 2013 and 2016.
Irwan, 65, who was appointed as a member of 1MDB’s advisory board by Datuk Seri Najib Razak when the latter was prime minister, said he had received lump sum payments of RM221,774 and RM300,000, respectively, in 2013 and 2016.
“I was informed that this payment (RM221,774) is an outstanding payment to me as a member of the 1MDB advisory board since I held the position of Treasury secretary-general from August 2012 to August 2013. I did not ask for this allowance to be paid to me, rather this payment was made by 1MDB to me through a company cheque.
“Meanwhile, the allowance payment (of RM300,000) that I received was for 2013 until 2016, that is until the advisory board was abolished by Najib himself after an investigation by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) against 1MDB,” said the 42nd prosecution witness when reading out his witness statement at Najib’s trial on charges of misappropriating RM2.3 billion of 1MDB funds.
In addition to the two payments, Irwan also said he had consistently received a monthly advisory board allowance of RM25,000 from 1MDB from August 2013 until 2015.
According to him, after the advisory board was abolished, he also received a monthly allowance of RM25,000 as chairman of 1MDB, and since he had been appointed as an advisory board member, had never been called or received an invitation to attend a board meeting.
“Although the advisory board chairman (was) Najib who (was) also the finance minister, he had never informed me about any meeting regarding the 1MDB advisory board. I once asked Tan Sri Ali Hamsa (who was chief secretary to the government) at that time about the 1MDB advisory board meeting, but his reply to me was that he himself had no idea and was not invited to any meeting related to the 1MDB advisory board since he was appointed.
“So, after that, I never asked the chief secretary or Najib again,” he said, adding that he was never involved in making any decisions on 1MDB’s dealings or investments.
When questioned by senior deputy public prosecutor Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram on whether he attended an advisory board meeting, Irwan replied: “No… although the advisory board meeting was not called, but unofficially (there were meetings). I was the treasurer-general and 1MDB was related to the Finance Ministry, unofficially advice was given, or sometimes Najib asked me… sometimes Najib has his own decision.
When talking about fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, or better known as Jho Low, Irwan confirmed that throughout his service as the Treasury secretary-general at the Finance Ministry and later as chairman of 1MDB, he had never communicated or met with Jho Low.
“I first came to know about the issue regarding Jho Low, who was linked to 1MDB, in a question-and-answer session with the PAC in 2015 and then based on widely circulated media reports,” he said.
Najib, 69, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The trial before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues at 2.30 pm, tomorrow. – Bernama, November 14, 2022