PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Razak said he could generally discern truth from deception.
However, he admitted that when he is presented with misleading facts, he could make mistakes.
The former prime minister said this when the lead prosecutor in his 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) corruption trial, Ahmad Akram Gharib, asked him whether his intelligence and leadership skills enabled him to distinguish truth from lies.
"Generally, yes. But when facts are not presented correctly or I am misinformed and misled, I can make mistakes," Najib said under cross-examination before presiding judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
The former Pekan member of parliament has consistently maintained his innocence, claiming he was unaware of any wrongdoing at 1MDB.
He alleges that the misappropriation of funds at the sovereign wealth fund was orchestrated solely by fugitive financier Low Taek Jho or Jho Low and others within its management.
Najib faces four charges of abusing his position to receive RM2.3 billion in bribes from 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount.
The trial continues.