Muhyiddin's trial: Director of company that won RM141m project says helped all tender rivals to write to PM too

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — Nepturis Sdn Bhd director Aliza Abd Malek today said she had helped her company and four other companies that were bidding for the same government project in 2021 to write their project application letters to then prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Under the government’s Bumiputera contractors’ programme Jana Wibawa, Aliza’s company Nepturis eventually won the project, worth around RM141 million, to build the Klang Utara district police headquarters (IPD Klang Utara) in a tender limited to only these five companies.

Typically, a tender involves different companies competing for a project or contract, meaning Aliza was helping her company’s competitors draft their letters to apply or express interest in the same project.

Testifying as the 13th prosecution witness in Muhyiddin’s power abuse and money laundering trial, Aliza revealed that Lian Tian Chuan (or “TC Lian”) — whom she said owns a 30 per cent stake in Nepturis through a verbal-only agreement — was the one who instructed her to write the five companies’ letters to the PM.

Aliza said she prepared five separate letters addressed to Muhyiddin for the five companies, all with the identical title of applying for the IPD Klang Utara project to be carried out through a pre-qualification tender.

Under Jana Wibawa, at least five Bumiputera companies were required for a pre-qualification tender, which is limited to companies that had been pre-screened as qualifying for a project.

The five companies were Nepturis, Permata Rebana Sdn Bhd, Fastcoll Corporation Sdn Bhd, JM Letrik Sdn Bhd and MZ Hakujaya Sdn Bhd, with the first four letters dated February 1, 2021 and the last dated January 29, 2021.

“I confirm this document was prepared by me on TC Lian’s instructions,” the 47-year-old said of all five letters.

Aliza said she learned about the project through Lian but did not know how he knew about it, adding that she was also unsure how the other companies knew about the project.

Under cross-examination by Muhyiddin’s lawyer Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad, Aliza agreed that helping other competitors prepare their letters was not in Nepturis’ interest, but said she had done so on Lian’s instructions.

Earlier, Aliza agreed that as Nepturis director, she had to act in the best interests of her company when bidding for a project and would not act for competitors bidding for the same project.

Asked by Amer Hamzah, Aliza said she was unsure whether Lian had an interest in the other companies’ applications, or if he had “some sort of arrangement or deal” with their directors.

Aliza confirmed that Lian was in contact with the directors of the other four companies that wanted to apply for the project.

Amer Hamzah then suggested that there appeared to be a pact or “cartel” to secure the project. Aliza said the question would have to be directed to Lian and that she did not know if he had a pact with the other companies’ directors.

Later, Aliza said Nepturis did not have a pact with the other companies when submitting the tender for the project, saying that her company only submitted a tender for itself based on its own price offer.

Earlier, she told deputy public prosecutor Noralis Mat that the four other companies were Lian’s “business partners”.

Lawyer Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

How Nepturis director drafted letters to PM for project rivals

Confirming that she was the one who drafted and typed out all the companies’ application letters to Muhyiddin, Aliza told Amer Hamzah that she also had access to the letterheads of some of the other companies.

While Amer Hamzah said it was a crime for a company to have access to other companies’ letterheads, Aliza said those companies had given her permission to use their letterheads for the letters to the PM.

Aliza said she received the letterheads either by email or WhatsApp, adding that she had dealt with the personal assistants of certain companies’ directors (Fastcoll and JM Letrik) to obtain approval for the letters to be signed, while Lian had directly dealt with the directors of the other companies.

When Amer Hamzah pointed out that the five companies’ letters had slightly different fonts, wording, sentences and number of paragraphs, Aliza agreed that this could cause the recipient to view them as applications from five unrelated companies.

However, she explained that the other companies were free to make changes to the font and sentences in the draft she had sent them.

While saying there was nothing preventing the other companies from drafting their own application letters, Aliza said she had provided them with ideas and they could amend the drafts.

For the letter drafts that included the rival companies’ backgrounds, such as their Bumiputera status, Aliza said she received the companies’ profiles from Lian.

Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin arriving at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Complex on July 9, 2026. — Picture by Yusof Isa

Nepturis director confirms helping write letters to PM for another project too 

Aliza confirmed to Amer Hamzah that she was also the one who had prepared the application letters to then-PM Muhyiddin for five companies who were applying for another project in 2021, namely the Central Spine Road: Sertik to East Coast Highway interchange project.

She said she had acted on Lian’s instructions to do so for these five companies: Nepturis (via a March 4, 2021 letter), MCS Management Sdn Bhd, CKJ Engineering & Services Sdn Bhd, MK Services Sdn Bhd, and MZ Hakujaya Sdn Bhd.

Aliza confirmed that Nepturis was also the company that won this project.

Aliza said Lian was the one who had given her the title for the application letters for the two projects, and that he had said those letters were to be addressed to the prime minister then.

Who owns Nepturis? 

Aliza, who formerly worked at Lian’s companies MK Construction & Communication Sdn Bhd as far back as 2003 and later Metrasys Sdn Bhd, said Lian had asked her and Mohd Rizman Akum Khan to “take over” Nepturis in 2018.

While both Aliza and Rizman became directors and on paper held 50 per cent shares each of Nepturis, she confirmed that she did not pay any money to become the registered shareholder or to subsequently increase the company’s paid-up capital.

But Aliza said that she, Rizman and Lian had a verbal understanding that the company’s shares are actually split equally between the three of them, but said there is no document on this as Lian trusts both of them.

She confirmed that this shareholding arrangement was not informed to the Companies Commission of Malaysia. 

This means Lian is not listed on official records as either a director or shareholder of Nepturis.

As Lian has a 30 per cent share since his company Metrasys had given money to Nepturis as capital, Aliza said she and Rizman must discuss with Lian on all the company’s operations to get a consensus.

Aliza confirmed that Lian’s 30 per cent interest in Nepturis was not informed to CIDB, which she agreed has a role in determining whether a contractor has Bumiputera status.

While saying that only she, Rizman and the account department had access to Nepturis’ online banking account, Aliza confirmed that Lian could give instructions to carry out transactions in the company’s account and has “control” over the company due to his 30 per cent share.

Aliza said she had long worked with Lian and believed he wanted her to progress by handing Nepturis to her and Rizman to get government projects, while Lian did not want his name to be known and had the role of finding projects.

Aliza says never contacted Muhyiddin 

Aliza confirmed to Amer Hamzah that she never contacted Muhyiddin when preparing the companies’ application letters, and that Muhyiddin also never contacted her.

She also agreed that Muhyiddin does not know of her existence or her company’s existence.

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

Based on banking documents in this trial, money from several companies had previously entered Bersatu’s accounts, including a RM1 million cheque from Nepturis on February 21, 2022.

The trial before High Court judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin resumes tomorrow, with Aliza expected to continue testifying.