KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court heard from Datuk Seri Najib Razak that he was not the mastermind behind SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
On the witness stand during the lawsuit against him and former CEO Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil by SRC International, Najib said he needed to clear up a false impression presented by one of the lawyers.
Datuk Dr Gurdial Singh Nijar, representing third-party respondent and ex-SRC director Datuk Suboh Md Yassin, had implied that Najib was the "father" of SRC.
"I must correct you. I am certainly not the father of SRC, and it was never my idea," said Najib in his testimony on Monday.
Gurdial acknowledged the clarification, and Najib reiterated, "Please don't label me as the father of SRC."
The lawsuit, initiated by SRC under new management in May 2021, accuses Najib of trust breaches, power abuse, fund misappropriation, and personal gain from the company's assets.
Initially, the suit implicated Najib along with former directors Suboh, Mohammed Azhar Osman Khairuddin, Nik Faisal, Datuk Che Abdullah @ Rashidi Che Omar, Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, and Tan Sri Ismee Ismail.
The case has since been streamlined to focus on Najib and Nik Faisal as the main defendants, with the other former directors involved as third-party respondents.
SRC seeks compensation, interest, legal costs, and a judicial declaration that Najib is accountable for the company's losses due to his alleged breach of duty and is demanding restitution of the US$1.18bil in damages.
It also seeks US$120mil and US$2mil from Najib and Nik Faisal, respectively, for fraudulent breach of fiduciary duties and trust.
Justice Ahmad Fairuz Zainol Abidin presides over the ongoing trial.
