The Najib Razak trial heard today that businessman Low Taek Jho had approached Ambank in 2009 for a RM10 billion bond issuance with a 30-year tenure for a sovereign wealth fund to develop Terengganu but which later became 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). 

Joanna Yu, a former relationship manager at Ambank, testified at the Kuala Lumpur High Court that the bank held a meeting with Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA) officials to discuss the issuance of the bond.

High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah today ticked off Najib Razak's lawyers over their attempts to postpone cross-examination of witnesses in the ongoing 1Malaysia Development Berhad trial.

The stern warning from the judge came after defence lawyer Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed asked Sequerah’s permission to delay the cross-examination of 40th prosecution witness Kok Tuck Cheong as lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah was handling another court case at the High Court.

An Ex-AmBank group managing director told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that he did not dare ask why Najib Razak was about to receive a US$100 million (RM465 million) donation from Saudi Arabia in 2011.

Cheah Tek Kuang, who is the 39th trial witness, said this when he was questioned by lead defence counsel Mohammed Shafee Abdullah on his visit to the former prime minister’s home to assist in opening an Ambank account for the now convicted felon.

Prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram told Najib Razak’s lawyers today to argue his 1Malaysia Development Berhad case in court instead of the media.

Sri Ram told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that lead defence lawyer Mohamed Shafee Abdullah had misled the media by claiming that the prosecution had failed to disclose evidence in the convicted politician's trial.

Former prime minister Najib Razak allegedly received a total of US$1.17 (RM544) billion from an Arab donor in two separate transactions in 2011 and 2013, the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard today.

Ambank capital market head Yap Wai Keat was verifying two transactions of US$800 million and US$375 million that was deposited into the now convicted Najib’s account.

AmBank Raja Chulan branch manager Uma Devi told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that no red flags were raised when US$620 million was remitted from jailed prime minister Najib Razak’s AmBank account in August 2013.

She said where remittance is concerned it is usually up to the customer to get approval from Bank Negara Malaysia.

A former treasury official told the High Court today that a letter of support issued by the government to enable 1MDB Global Investment Ltd to secure a US$3 billion bond was done in haste.

Testifying against jailed former prime minister Najib Razak, Siti Zauyah Mohd Desa said that in her 25 years’ experience with the finance ministry, the letter of support was an abnormal transaction that she had to take on.

Najib Razak was back in court after a one week stay in hospital rather than the prison over an undisclosed health problem.

The disgraced former prime minister, dressed in a blue suit, was escorted to court by Kajang Prison officials. He looked to be in good spirits despite spending the last week at Kuala Lumpur Hospital and the Cheras Rehabilitation Centre.

Prisoner Najib Razak had a short day in court today before going for a medical check up, but not before Ambank Jalan Raja Chulan branch manager R. Uma Devi testified that Najib minted more than RM1.25 million in interest payments from Tye bank from funds in one of his five personal bank accounts.

On the witness stand, Uma confirmed that several interest payments totalling RM1,253,924.80 were made in 2011 to Najib’s private AmBank account ending with 694.

On social media, Najib Razak has thousands of fans but in jail, he only has one.

Far from the comforts of a prime minister, he is now in a Kajang prison cell eating the same food as other prisoners and has to take cold showers - according to Prisons Department sources.

Be that as it may, Najib was present today at the Kuala Lumpur High Court in a well dressed suit, but unlike other prisoners, Najib was not handcuffed as he was not deemed as a "dangerous criminal".

The prosecution's 37th witness, R Uma Devi told the High Court of Kuala Lumpur this afternoon that the former prime minister once appointed former chief executive officer for SRC International, Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, as the authorised person with access to his personal bank accounts.