KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak told the High Court that his signature was fabricated on minutes of a 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) meeting.
The former prime minister said he had never seen the minutes when he was asked by his lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
Muhammad Shafee: Is this your signature?
Najib: No, it is not my signature. I can confidently say it is not mine because I did not attend this meeting with (Datuk) Shahrol (Azral Ibrahim Halmi).
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The lawyer was referring to a meeting that Shahrol, the former 1MDB CEO, testified took place where he had met Najib to discuss a proposed investment in French energy company GDF Suez.
Shahrol claimed that Najib agreed to the proposal and instructed the 1MDB management to analyse risks and conduct due diligence.
"My response is that no such meeting took place. I never had any discussion with Shahrol regarding the proposal for the GDF Suez investment," Najib said during an examination-in-chief at his RM2.28bil 1MDB graft trial here on Wednesday (Dec 4).
"At no point did I provide any agreement, instruction, or guidance to Shahrol or anyone else on this matter.
"Any claim that I participated in such a meeting or approved the proposal is entirely false," he said.
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Najib pointed out that from the notation on the document, it appeared that whoever made it did not give outright approval for investment in GDF Suez but rather made it conditional on legal and financial due diligence.
The former Pekan MP said his handwriting was "entirely different" and it was his standard practice when making a notation to always include a date and sign off below it.
"As the document lacks a date, this further confirms that the notation was not made by me," he added.
Najib said he believed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer concerned had avoided confronting him with the document bearing the signature during the recording of his statement because he would have explained that the meeting never took place and the signature was not his.
"These explanations would have contradicted their narrative that I directed the management and the board to proceed with the GDF Suez investment and to unfairly implicate me," he added.
This is not the first time Najib has cast doubt on the authenticity of his signature.
He previously testified in the SRC International Sdn Bhd trial, in which he was convicted, that his signature had been forged.
On Oct 30, Najib was ordered by the High Court to enter his defence on four counts of using his position to obtain RM2.28bil gratification from 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount.
The hearing continues Thursday (Dec 5) before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
