PUTRAJAYA: Lawyers for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim have questioned the credibility of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) former assistant governor Datuk Abdul Murad Khalid who gave evidence in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) foreign exchange losses in the 1990’s.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir, through his counsel, Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla sought permission from the RCI’s five-man panel to recall Abdul Murad to the witness stand to ask the latter questions on several issues based on his testimony on Wednesday.
Mohamed Haniff also told the RCI five-man tribunal that there were questions relating to Abdul Murad’s credibility as Abdul Murad had made grave allegations in an interview with the media, 25 years after the forex losses had taken place.
He said Abdul Murad should also be questioned on his knowledge and opinion on international forex market trading prevalent at the material time, since he had indicated there was ‘gambling’ in the forex, based on speculative trading.
“The answer to the questions to be elucidated from Abdul Murad will assist this commission to come to a direct conclusion as to whether there was any breach of laws or regulations in the manner in which the forex trading was done or conducted in the early 1990’s,” he said.
Mohamed Haniff said the relevance of those issues was to determine the actual total loss incurred by BNM through forex trading, adding that Abdul Murad must be allowed to be tested through cross-examination.
He also sought to recall the first witness, Abdul Aziz Abdul Manaf, the former BNM accounts manager who testified on Wednesday that BNM incurred losses of RM31.516 billion for forex trading for 1991 until 1994.
Lawyer Datuk Dr Gurdial Singh Nijar appearing for Anwar, who was former deputy prime minister and finance minister, said the New Straits Times was found liable and had to pay Anwar RM100,000 in damages for defamation as a result of Abdul Murad’s statutory declaration.
Conducting officer Datuk Suhaimi Ibrahim said the issues were events outside the proceedings and could not be used to discredit Abdul Murad.
The commission’s chairman, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said it took note of the matter and would consider it.
Dr Mahathir was present in the proceedings yesterday.
He sat in the front row on the right side of the public gallery at the courtroom. — Bernama