KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 — Then prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s July 2020 request for contractors to make donations to his political party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia during a conversation about government projects for Bumiputera contractors was wrong, a witness told the High Court today.

Bumiputera Contractors Association of Malaysia (PKBM) president Datuk Seri Azman Yusoff said this as the prosecution’s 27th witness in Muhyiddin’s power abuse and money laundering trial.

Despite acknowledging that Muhyiddin’s request was wrong, Azman also expressed gratitude to him for helping Bumiputera contractors via government projects under the Jana Wibawa programme during the Covid-19 pandemic, and said he had no malicious motives against the politician.

Today, Azman said Muhyiddin had “spontaneously” told him during their one-on-one July 2020 meeting at the Tropicana Golf Club that contractors who wished to donate could donate directly to Bersatu instead of to individuals in the party.

Azman said Muhyiddin had spoken about the donations “spontaneously” when he was asking the then Prime Minister about opportunities for government projects for Bumiputera contractors under his association, and that Muhyiddin had also informed him about the Jana Wibawa programme in this meeting.

Asked by lead prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin if he knew it was wrong for Muhyiddin to make the donation request, Azman agreed that it was wrong.

“Yes, I certainly agree this is an offence, but I as a businessman, I have to agree with the prime minister for the continuity of my business and also my friends’ businesses.

“At that time, everything was paralysed because no projects were going on. Thank God with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s help, we were awarded projects. With that, I agree with the payment informed by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for donations to be given to the party Bersatu. He informed spontaneously to me and also to other contractors,” he said.

Asked by Wan Shaharuddin if he had any malice against Muhyiddin when testifying against him in this trial while also being indebted to the politician, Azman said he had no malicious intent.

Noting that there were no construction projects that could be carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic, Azman went on to thank Muhyiddin: “So thank you to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for helping Bumiputera contractors during Covid-19.”

After Muhyiddin’s July 2020 donation remarks, Azman said his Bumiputera construction company KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd which had a Grade G7 contractor status later applied for a government project under Jana Wibawa through a written request for Muhyiddin’s support.

He said Jana Wibawa was meant to help Bumiputera contractors with Grade G7 status through appointments as government contractors through direct negotiations.

Azman said he had handed over KCJ Engineering’s September 21, 2020 project application letter to Muhyiddin’s aide at the Prime Minister’s Office, with the letter addressed to Muhyiddin and seeking his support for the company to be appointed for the project through direct negotiation.

After KCJ Engineering was awarded the RM62 million government project on July 30, 2021, Azman said he and his company had together issued eight cheques totalling RM4.8 million as donations to Bersatu (with RM4 million issued from his personal account and RM800,000 from the company’s account).

Azman said the RM4.8 million donation was because of Muhyiddin’s July 2020 remarks and as he wanted to repay Muhyiddin’s kind deeds in helping him get the project through direct negotiation, noting that RM4.8 million was around seven to eight per cent of the contract’s RM62 million value.

Because of Muhyiddin’s “spontaneous” July 2020 remarks about donations, Azman said he had also asked Nepturis Sdn Bhd’s representative Lian Tan Chuan and Sutracom Sdn Bhd’s representative Shahradzi Shamsuddin to donate to Bersatu after the two Bumiputera companies were awarded Jana Wibawa projects.

Shahradzi previously told the court that his company Mamfor Sdn Bhd had donated RM19.5 million to Bersatu as his younger brother’s company Sutracom was awarded a RM605.2 million project, while Lian had confirmed a RM1 million cheque to Bersatu after Nepturis was given a RM141 million project.

Among other things, Azman said he had first known Segambut Bersatu division deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad during the Tan Sri Muhyiddin Charity Golf tournament in July 2020 and found out that the latter was close to Muhyiddin due to his Bersatu position.

Azman said he had introduced Lian to Adam Radlan in a December 2020 meeting at Publika, Kuala Lumpur attended by the trio, adding that Adam Radlan had confirmed he had a close relationship with Muhyiddin and could help Lian’s company get Jana Wibawa projects.

Azman said he later asked Lian to donate RM1 million to Bersatu, as he believed that Lian’s company had obtained the Jana Wibawa project as it was supported by Muhyiddin after the company’s letter expressing interest in the project was forwarded by Adam Radlan to the PM.

“Besides that, because I remember Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin himself informing me previously that any companies which obtain Jana Wibawa projects can make donations directly to Bersatu,” he said.

Azman said Lian in 2022 handed him a RM1 million cheque for Bersatu, and that he then gave the cheque to Bersatu’s treasurer Datuk Mohamed Salleh Bajuri.

Azman said there are around 300 Bumiputera contractors with the Grade G7 status in his association PKBM.

Azman’s association PKBM was formed in 2018, and he has been the president since then.

Azman is also president of PPIPBM, an association for Malaysia’s Bumiputera manufacturers and service industry players, and is also currently a director in the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).

In this trial, Muhyiddin is facing seven charges, namely four counts of alleged power abuse to obtain RM225.3 million in bribes for his party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (from Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Datuk Seri Azman Yusoff, KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd), and three counts of alleged money laundering involving money that Bersatu received from Bukhary Equity.

The trial before High Court judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin resumes tomorrow, with Muhyiddin’s lawyers expected to cross-examine Azman.

Recommended reading:

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• Muhyiddin trial: Contractor says gave Bersatu RM1m as he was told ex-PM ‘helped’ win project
• Muhyiddin’s trial: Company MD says he borrowed RM19.5m to donate to Bersatu at request of ‘Datuk’
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