KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here was today told that an engineering and construction company issued four cheques totalling RM800,000 to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia four years ago.
Maybank Shah Alam branch operations officer Chang Hui Chin, 50, confirmed that KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd made four payments of RM200,000 each, all dated on Sept 1, 2022.
"I confirm that the signatures on the cheques belong to Zulhelmi Mairin @ Kunting and Mohd Zaid Yusoff, who are authorised signatories for the company’s account,” she said while reading her witness statement.
Chang, the sixth prosecution witness, said this when reading out her witness statement during the trial of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is facing seven charges of abuse of position and money laundering.
She added that based on the company’s bank statement dated Oct 31, 2022, all four cheques were deposited on the same day they were issued.
Earlier, during examination-in-chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor Mahadi Abdul Jumaat, Chang also verified the company’s account opening form dated Oct 19, 1999.
She said the form, completed by the company, listed its directors as Zulhelmi Mairin @ Kunting and Mohd Hafizam Abdul Halim, while authorised signatories included Zulhelmi, Datuk Azman Yusoff and Mohd Zaid Yusoff.
During cross-examination by defence counsel Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad, Chang agreed that the recipient of the cheques was Bersatu and that each transaction was properly recorded and carried out transparently.
Muhyiddin, 78, who was then prime minister and Bersatu president, faces four charges of using his position to allegedly obtain bribes totalling RM225.3mil in connection with the Jana Wibawa project from three companies and also Datuk Azman Yusoff for the party’s benefit.
The companies are Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd.
He is accused of committing the act at the Prime Minister's Office, Bangunan Perdana Putra in Putrajaya between March 1, 2020 and Aug 20, 2021.
The charge, framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if convicted.
The Pagoh MP also faces three charges of receiving proceeds from illegal activities totalling RM200mil from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, which were deposited into Bersatu's Ambank and CIMB Bank accounts at the bank's branches in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur between February 2021 and July 2022.
The charges were brought under Section 4(1)(b), read with Section 87(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, which provides a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment and a fine of five times the value of the proceeds from illegal activities or RM5 million, whichever is higher upon conviction.
The trial before Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin continues on April 16. - Bernama
