Bank manager says in the dark over Najib’s account until 1MDB probe began

A senior bank manager told the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday she only knew that the personal account with the code name AmPrivate Banking-MR belonged to former prime minister Najib Razak when the 1MDB investigation began.

Former Ambank FX sales department senior manager Rosliza Ishak, 48, said when she took over the customer portfolio of “AM Private Banking Division” from a superior officer, she was not told the details of the account holders.

“I knew some customers from the AM Private Banking Division would prefer not to have their identities revealed, not even to the bank officer.

“They (the superior officers) did not mention that the account was owned by Najib. I was only given the code name and no further information was disclosed,” she said when cross-examined by counsel Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed at Najib’s corruption and money laundering trial on RM2.3 billion belonging to 1MDB.

Rosliza, when reading out her witness statement, earlier said she had changed £8.7 million (RM45,837,485.70) in six transactions between June 23 and Dec 19, 2014 after receiving orders from a former Ambank relationship manager Joanna Yu.

“Yu would give the order to my department after the client agreed with the exchange rate given. My department later would execute the foreign exchange order given by Yu, after the customer confirmed the exchange,” the 25th witness said.

However, Rosliza said Yu would not mention the identity of the customer for the account she was handling as all of the transactions used code names.

Najib, 68, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering for the same amount.

The trial before justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues today.