Former deputy director general (Macro) of the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister's Office Datuk Kamariah Noruddin is pictured at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex May 2, 2019. — Picture by Firdaus Latif
KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — State investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) solicited a RM3 billion federal grant directly via Datuk Seri Najib Razak to set up SRC International Sdn Bhd as a special purpose vehicle to secure energy supplies, the High Court heard told.
Former deputy director general (Macro) of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) in the Prime Minister’s Office, Datuk Kamariah Noruddin, testified today that she had difficulty handling 1MDB’s application in August 2010 as it was “striking” for a sitting prime minister to do so.
“It was a hard application to process as I do not normally handle applications from the prime minister. They (applications) are usually applied through the respective ministries.
“The letter addressed to Najib and the Finance Ministry, was signed by then 1MDB’s managing director Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi,” she said, adding that the letter was also extended to other Cabinet members.
Kamariah was the 28th witness in Najib’s SRC International money-laundering and criminal breach of trust trial over RM42 million of funds from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit.
She said she did not make any comments on the application as it was handled by the late EPU director Datuk Noriah Ahmad, who had been instructed by former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, to also prepare a summary on the matter.
“In general, the 1MDB letter outlined the proposal to establish SRC International in order to obtain and maintain strategic importance in extraction, processing, logistic services and trading of resources,” she said on the 12th day of the trial.
Some of the resources she told the court were; coal, oil and gas, steel and aluminium and uranium.
MORE TO COME