Al Rajhi gold purchase controversy: Former officer's testimony unveils intrigue

KUALA LUMPUR – A former Al Rajhi bank officer testified to processing seven controversial gold bar purchases without ever meeting the client, relying solely on her former superior's assurance, who now stands in the harsh spotlight of a criminal trial for forgery and dishonest inducement.

In fact, the witness, Raja Nurul Nabila Raja Md Arif, remarked that she was also unsure if the client, Choo Lai Hock, was ever present at Al Rajhi Bank’s Bangsar Affluent Branch on the day the contentious transaction was made - September 6, 2021.

"I only depended on the confirmation made by Mohd Saibulrijal Mohd Saad [the accused], who informed me that Choo - his client - was in his office. At that time, I had no basis not to trust him," she told Session Court judge Datin Sabariah Othman today.

"Had I known that the transaction on September 6, 2021, involving Choo was untrue, I would not have processed it," added Raja Nurul Nabila, the former Relationship Service Manager of the said branch.

Saibulrijal, the former relationship manager (special) at Al Rajhi, was charged under the Penal Code for three counts of dishonest inducement under Section 415 and two counts of forgery under Section 471 of the same act.

The case involved the purchase of seven gold bars, worth RM376,110.72, using Choo's money without the latter's knowledge and consent.

The accused allegedly withdrew RM411,332.17 from Choo's fixed deposit account and transferred it into a current account, also belonging to Choo, before making the purchase.

Another witness, a former branch manager of Al Rajhi Bangsar Affluent Branch, testified that Saibulrijal's designation - relationship manager (special) - allowed him to be the sole contact person for high-profile clients.

"There is a single-touchpoint clause in his job description," the witness answered a question from Deputy Public Prosecutor Sulaiman Kho, who asked her to explain the accused's role and responsibilities.

"Only he can contact such clients and only he can initiate the clients' requests. This job description was given by the [bank's] Human Resource Department," added the witness who requested anonymity over a concern on her current employment.

The witness also confirmed that Saibulrijal had given the final approval for the litigious gold purchase when Sulaiman produced the transactional documents in the courtroom.

"Because the transaction involved a huge withdrawal sum, it had to be signed by a higher-ranking officer. The final approval was from the accused as he was on duty that day," she explained.

Sulaiman followed up by asking her if any staff would have contacted Choo for an explanation regarding the transaction.

To this, she answered: "If the request for the transaction came from Saibulrijal, in accordance with his job description, only he would confirm the matter with Choo."

"And usually, the staff at the bank would follow the instructions of their immediate supervisor, which in this case was Saibulrijal," she added.

She also told the court that the accused had been the acting branch manager for Al Rajhi Bangsar Affluent Branch for two years before she reported for duty there in May 2018.

"From what I know, Saibulrijal has been working at Al Rajhi for over 10 years. He started as a customer service manager before being promoted to relationship manager (special) and acting branch manager," the witness added.

On the day of the incident, she was off duty, and the accused stood in for her instead.

Last week, Siti Farhana Adnan, a former relationship service manager of Al Rajhi Bank's Bangsar Affluent Branch, testified that she would never have approved the transaction of September 6, 2021, if she had known it was untrue.

Saibulrijal was represented by co-councillors: Hafiz, Zabir & Rezal and Asyikin & Co.

The trial has been adjourned until June 6.