PUTRAJAYA: The press conference held by former Attorney General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali to clear Datuk Seri Najib Razak of any wrongdoing in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case in 2016 had actually blown up in his face and cast doubt on his integrity, the Court of Appeal heard today.
Lead prosecutor Datuk V Sithambaram said Apandi had held up two flow charts to show how Najib was innocent of offences being investigated by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC).
The press conference, the Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) said, was held on Jan 26, 2016 to exonerate Najib of any wrongdoing.
Apandi subsequently instructed the MACC investigations against Najib - who was the then prime minister, to be closed.
However, Sithambaram pointed out that the two flow charts which Apandi held up during the press conference clearly reflected how funds which entered Najib's accounts were actually from SRC and not from Arab donations or any other source.
The charts also clearly showed how the flow of money from SRC to Najib's personal bank accounts was done through a layering process.
The SRC funds were transferred from one company to another before the trail ends in the former Umno president's accounts.
Sithambaram said ironically the same flow charts used by Apandi to exonerate Najib were used by the prosecution in his SRC trial.
Apandi had been called by Najib as a defence witness but Sithambaram said evidence adduced during the trial had ended up casting doubt on Apandi's integrity and his finding that Najib was innocent of the offences.
Sithambaram also noted how another witness, former MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad, had testified that the MACC continued investigating the SRC matter even though Apandi had released Najib from all charges in Jan 2016.
He said Dzulkifli's testimony showed that even though Apandi had exonerated Najib from any involvement in the SRC matter, the MACC was still firmly investigating the SRC and the RM2.6 billion 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case.
"Clearly the further investigation that was conducted resulted in the present charges," he said during submissions in Najib's appeal hearing today.
The Pekan member of parliament is appealing against his 12 year jail sentence and RM210 million fine after being found guilty of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving RM42 million of SRC funds.
The appeal is being heard before a three member bench, led by Judge Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil with the other two judges Datuk Has Zanah Mehat and Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera.