KUALA LUMPUR — Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was "shocked and upset" when he found out that millions had been banked into his personal bank accounts.

A witness who revealed this in the High Court on Wednesday (May 29) said Najib expressed such feelings when he was informed about the matter in 2015.

Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB) managing director Dr Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman said he told Najib about it after being released by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Dr Shamsul said he was detained for five days by the MACC and had his statement recorded about money which had been funnelled from 1Malaysia Development Corporation account to various of its subsidiary companies, including SRC International and IPSB.

The 58-year old testified that IPSB account had also been used as a "transit" before huge amounts of cash was transferred to a company called Mail Global Resources and the private account of an unknown person.

However, Dr Shamsul said he only found out that the unknown individual was actually Najib after reading about it in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and from MACC officers.

He said MACC officers told him that money which had flowed from 1MDB to SRC and IPSB eventually ended up in Najib’s account.

“I did know about this. They asked me repeatedly who was the holder of the unknown account but I maintained that I really did not know the person’s identity.

“I only came to know it was Najib after I read about it and the MACC officers told me,” he said during cross-examination by Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Dr Shamsul said he went to meet Najib after being released from MACC custody and informed the latter about what had happened.

Dr Shamsul said he met Najib after being released to tell him what had happened and saw that the then prime minister was genuinely taken aback upon being informed what had happened.

“He was shocked that someone had been putting money into his accounts.

“He did not know who it was. He was upset,” he said.

Asked if he also apologised to Najib for ‘feeling somewhat responsible’ because IPSB’s account had been used to channel money into the latter’s personal accounts, Dr Shamsul said: “Yes, I did because the last company to transfer money into his account was IPSB.

“I told him I did not know. My company was used as a transit before the money was transferred to Najib’s accounts without my knowledge.

Mr Shafee then asked Dr Shamsul whether he questioned the person who had instructed him to transfer the money, the witness replied that he did but was not given the information.

Dr Shamsul yesterday testified that he was instructed to allow IPSB’s account to be used as a transit by Yayasan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (YAR1M) project director Dennis See.

He had revealed that Mr See was the one who asked him to remit the money to Najib’s accounts but at that time he did not know who the beneficiary was.

Later, during re-examination deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi asked Dr Shamsul whether he suggested to lodge a report with the police or the MACC.

To this, Dr Shamsul said he did not.

MNajib, 66, is facing seven charges of money-laundering, CBT, and abuse of power involving RM42 million (S$13.82 million) of SRC funds.

He faces 20 years’ jail and fine for the offences, if convicted.

The hearing before judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali continues. NEW STRAITS TIMES