KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 — Two cheques were issued and received by two separate companies who carried out renovation works and over RM56,000 worth of water tank installation works at Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house, the High Court heard today.
Mohammad Zakariyya Zearat Khan, the owner of specialist plumbing company Moz (M) Sdn Bhd, today confirmed having received a cheque for RM56,500 to install a new water tank at Najib’s residence at 11, Jalan Langgak Duta in Kuala Lumpur.
Zakariyya said his company is on water supply firm Syabas’ panel and is tasked with handling pipe bursts in the Kuala Lumpur and Gombak area, adding that he was asked in 2015 to fix a water supply problem at Najib’s house.
“I received a call from Syabas saying that Datuk Seri’s house had a water supply disruption, so we were appointed...We found the disruption was due to the house being on a hill,” he told the High Court.
Zakariyya explained that frequent pipe bursts had caused the existing two water tanks with estimated 1,000 gallon-capacity at the roof of Najib’s two-storey house to be empty as the water could not flow up.
He said he had then came up with the solution of installing a new fibre water tank on the ground within the compound of Najib’s house, to pump water up to the two tanks.
Zakariyya said he issued an invoice dated February 12, 2015 totalling RM56,500 over the installation and purchase of a new 12,000-litre or 1,760-gallon water tank, as well as related works such as concrete floor slabs, booster pump, ABS piping, a control panel, installation of a pump house and new tapping.
Zakariyya said he was the one who had given the RM56,500 quotation, estimating that the tank installed outside of Najib’s house would be able to cater for the needs of between 10 to 20 people.
He said he had deposited the RM56,500 cheque at a RHB bank branch after receiving it.
When cross-examined by Najib’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Zakariyya confirmed seeing and knowing that there are multiple employees in Najib’s house at Jalan Langgak Duta.
Zakariyya provided comic relief with his candid replies in what was otherwise very sober proceedings, replying “mustahak” (important) when Shafee asked if he agreed that everyone in Najib’s residence needed water.
When asked if he felt the new water tank at Najib’s house was a luxury or a necessity, Zakariyya told Shafee it was a necessity.
Zakariyya was the seventh prosecution witness in Najib’s money-laundering trial over RM42 million of funds that were said to have originated from former 1Malaysia Development Berhad unit SRC International Sdn Bhd.
The sixth prosecution witness, Zulkarnain Mohamad, testified that his interior design and construction firm received a RM100,000 cheque for works done at Najib’s residence.
Zulkarnain, whose firm ABS Trend Master Sdn Bhd also does wiring and plumbing works, said he had received a call in around August or September 2014 to go to a house belonging to a “Number One Person” at Jalan Langgak Duta to build kitchen cabinets and a storeroom.
“I also did not know who was the ‘Orang Nombor Satu’ (number one person),” he told the court today.
Zulkarnain said he initially said he felt he was not capable or qualified to carry out the works when he discovered the house belonged to Najib, who was then the prime minister, but took on the project after being assured by a Najib staff member named “Amirul” that Zulkarnain would be able to deliver.
Zulkarnain said he completed within three to four months the construction of a storeroom, which contained a dry kitchen or pantry with cabinets, as well as two rows of clothes rack measuring about 12 feet each.
Zulkarnain estimated the storeroom to be about one-third in size of the Criminal High Court 3 courtroom where the trial was heard.
Having received about RM50,000 in deposit for the project where payments were made based on work progress, Zulkarnain said he had deposited a February 2015 cheque of RM100,000 made out to his company at a Maybank branch after receiving it for after the work was completed.
When cross-examined by Shafee, Zulkarnain said he did not know who the clothes racks were for, agreeing that it was possible the storeroom would be used for those staying or working in Najib’s house.
When Shafee asked if the storeroom could be for the storage of clothing for Najib’s official duties as prime minister then or if Najib had ran out of storage space for his clothes, Zulkarnain replied that he did not know.
Zulkarnain confirmed that he had during the construction of the storeroom also helped carry out works on a police sentry unit and waste bin at Najib’s house.
Zakariyya’s and Zulkarnain’s companies are among 15 recipients of cheques totalling over RM10.77 million that were issued under two AmIslamic Bank accounts that were registered under Najib’s name, based on court documents produced in court today and previously.
Najib’s trial resumes on Monday.
