KUALA LUMPUR: A businessman told the High Court that he contributed RM4.8mil to Bersatu to "return the favour" to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin after his construction company, KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, secured a RM62mil government contract.
Company director Datuk Azman Yusoff, 54, testified that KCJ Engineering won the direct-negotiation contract to build a road connecting Felda Bukit Jalur to Gemas, Negeri Sembilan, under the Jana Wibawa programme during Muhyiddin's tenure as prime minister.
He testified that RM4mil was paid from his personal bank account, while the remaining RM800,000 was drawn from KCJ Engineering's account.
"KCJ and I made the RM4.8mil payment to Bersatu despite Muhyiddin no longer being the prime minister then. This was because, as a businessman, I wanted to return the favour as he had helped KCJ and me win the project through direct negotiations," he said in his witness statement on Wednesday (Aug 26).
Azman, the 27th prosecution witness, was testifying in Muhyiddin’s graft trial linked to the Jana Wibawa scheme.
He recalled a spontaneous remark made by Muhyiddin when he first raised the topic of Jana Wibawa during a golf session at the Tropicana Golf & Country Club in July 2020.
"He (Muhyiddin) had earlier told me that any contributions should be made directly to Bersatu. I assumed that meant Muhyiddin expected contributions from companies awarded projects under Jana Wibawa. As a businessman seeking his support and assistance, I assumed that remark had to be adhered to," Azman said.
Azman added that the RM4.8mil contribution represented roughly 7% to 8% of the total project value, noting that road construction projects under government contracts typically yield profit margins of 15% to 20%.
Muhyiddin, 79, faces four charges of abusing his position to solicit RM225.3mil in bribes linked to the Jana Wibawa project from four companies - Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd, and KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd - and individual Datuk Azman Yusoff.
The alleged offences were committed at the Prime Minister's Office, Bangunan Perdana Putra in Putrajaya, between March 1, 2020, and Aug 20, 2021.
He is also charged with three counts of receiving proceeds from unlawful activities totalling RM200mil, deposited into Bersatu’s bank accounts between February 2021 and July 2022.
The trial before Justice Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin continues on Thursday (Aug 27).
