KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — Construction company Mamfor Sdn Bhd managing director Shahradzi Shamsuddin today said a man with a “Datuk” title had in 2021 asked him to make a donation to political party Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, as the “Datuk” would help his younger brother’s company to get a RM605.2 million government project under the Jana Wibawa programme.
Shahradzi said his company Mamfor then borrowed RM19.5 million, which he donated to Bersatu using cheques, namely RM10.5 million before the project was awarded and RM9 million after the project was awarded in October 2022.
Shahradzi said this while testifying as the 20th prosecution witness in Bersatu president and former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s power abuse and money laundering trial.
Shahradzi said he had first got to know businessman Datuk Azman Yusoff in mid-2020, whom he frequently bumped into at the Ministry of Works (KKR) and whom he described as a close acquaintance of the Works Minister then, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Shahradzi said he had in April or May 2021 contacted Azman for help with looking at a Public Works Department (JKR) project that his younger brother’s company Sutracom Sdn Bhd was bidding for, adding that he followed any requests made by Azman, whom he claimed knew and had influence over KKR officers.
“In April and May 2021, Datuk Azman contacted me through telephone and asked me to make a financial contribution to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) as Datuk Azman will help Sutracom Sdn Bhd get that project at JKR.
“Datuk Azman told me that this project may succeed. Therefore, Datuk Azman asked me to advance the donation money to PPBM,” he told the High Court.
“Datuk Azman did not fix the value or percentage of the donation, but I as a businessman estimated that the donation that could afford to be given is three per cent to four per cent of the value of the contract obtained,” he said, later adding that this figure was based on the “industry talk” between construction companies.
Shahradzi said he had given the donations to Bersatu on Azman’s “recommendation” for helping him to get the project.
In order to give the RM19.5 million donation to Bersatu, Shahradzi said he had borrowed RM7 million from his mother Rahmah Kassim’s company Majulia Sdn Bhd, and RM13.772 million from his younger brother Shahrin’s company Sutracom.
Shahradzi said Azman did not say whether the donations to Bersatu should be via cash or cheques, adding that he himself decided to use cheques as it would be more transparent.
He said he had personally handed over these cheques issued by his company Mamfor to office staff at Bersatu’s headquarters in Bangunan Yayasan Selangor in Petaling Jaya.
Previously, evidence from bank staff and bank documents showed that Mamfor’s RM19.5 million had entered Bersatu’s bank account via 29 cheques in 2021 and 2022.
Shahradzi today verified these cheques, including cheques where he had repeatedly identified the sender Mamfor as “client/supporter” or “customer/supporter”, and the recipient Bersatu as “preferred political party”.
In some of the cheques, the relationship between Mamfor and Bersatu was simply stated as “donation”.
Shahradzi told deputy public prosecutor Mahadi Jumaat that he himself had determined when and how much to donate to Bersatu for each transaction, adding that this was based on Mamfor’s cash flow.
Shahradzi confirmed that the donations were made quite frequently, every one to two months over a two-year period, and that this was prompted by multiple conversations with Azman where the latter would ask him to donate to Bersatu.
Asked why he had believed Azman when the latter said that Sutracom may get the project, Shahradzi said this was because Azman is Malaysia’s Bumiputera contractors’ association’s president and is acquainted with the works minister.
Shahradzi said he did not ask Azman why the donations should be made to Bersatu, also confirming that he did not donate to the Works Minister’s political party in relation to the project.
What kind of donation was it?
Responding to lead prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Shahradzi confirmed that he is not a Bersatu party member.
Asked to refer to two Malay words that could be used to refer to donations, Shahradzi described the RM19.5 million donated to Bersatu as a “sumbangan” (or money given with the hope of getting something in return) as his brother’s company was granted the contract, instead of a “derma” (money given without hoping for any reward).
Shahradzi said he did not tell his younger brother, Sutracom’s managing director Shahrin, about the RM19.5 million donation.
Shahradzi agreed that the RM19.5 million donated to Bersatu was a large sum and that he had never given such a big sum to any other political party, and also did not give any “sumbangan” to other parties for the project.
If the RM19.5 million was not paid out to Bersatu, Shahradzi said he could have used it for Mamfor’s operating costs, savings, asset purchases or to clear the company’s debts.
Quizzed by Wan Shaharuddin, Shahradzi said he would not have donated RM19.5 million or even RM100 to Bersatu if Azman had not asked him to donate to the political party.
About the other ‘Datuk’
Today, Shahradzi also testified that he had known Datuk Ayob Ali since 2014, adding that he knew Ayob was close to Muhyiddin as the latter was frequently seen at Hari Raya events at Ayob’s house.
Shahradzi said he had initially asked Ayob’s help in December 2020 to pass on his brother’s company Sutracom’s application to be appointed directly via direct negotiation as a contractor to build a highway in Pulau Indah to then-prime minister Muhyiddin, but was told in early 2021 by Ayob to apply through a pre-qualification tender instead.
Under the Jana Wibawa programme for Bumiputera contractors, a pre-qualification tender was one of two methods used to award contracts, where only a limited number of qualified contractors who would be able to join.
As his own company Mamfor was not qualified, Shahradzi said he had then “borrowed” the G7 contractor licence from six companies, namely his mother’s Majulia, his brother’s Sutracom, and four companies belonging to his acquaintances, to apply for the same Pulau Indah project through the pre-qualification tender.
“This practice has become a norm for me if I wish to apply for a letter of intent to get government projects since I joined the construction contractor business,” he said.
Shahradzi said he obtained all six companies’ letterheads from the company owners, and that he prepared and signed off on six letters dated March 5, 2021 for those companies, all addressed to then-prime minister Muhyiddin.
Shahradzi said he had done all this with the knowledge of the six companies’ owners, and confirmed he did not have any role or shares in those companies.
While saying there were no discussions or arrangements with the six companies on what would happen if they got the project he applied for, Shahradzi said it would usually result in his company becoming their subcontractor.
Shahradzi said he had passed the six letters in an envelope to Ayob.
He said Ayob later informed him that Muhyiddin had written down a “minute” on note to say he had no objection, but that Ayob had also said the project award was not guaranteed as Sutracom still had to go through the Finance Ministry and Public Works Department procurement process.
Sutracom was eventually awarded the Pulau Indah project, but Shahradzi said he did not know how the company was selected by the government.
Donation request did not mention Muhyiddin, witness confirms
Later when cross-examined by Muhyiddin’s lawyer Chetan Jethwani, Shahradzi confirmed that Azman had never said that Muhyiddin was the one asking for the donation to Bersatu, further confirming that Azman did not name Muhyiddin.
Shahradzi confirmed he does not have any personal ties and had never spoken personally with Muhyiddin, and that he only knew of the latter as a politician but did not personally know him.
Shahradzi said he did not know why Azman had asked him to donate to Bersatu, also agreeing that he had sought Azman’s help in order to get JKR’s approval for the project and not because he thought Azman was close to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Shahradzi agreed with Chetan that both Bersatu and Muhyiddin had nothing to do with JKR, which is under the Works Minister.
Shahradzi said he did not know if Bersatu or Muhyiddin had asked for the donation.
Shahradzi confirmed he was not given any receipts when he gave the cheques to Bersatu, but also confirmed he did not ask for receipts.
Shahradzi confirmed that Ayob did not ask for donations to Bersatu or Muhyiddin, and that he did not inform Ayob that the donations had been made.
The trial before High Court judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin resumes tomorrow, with Shahradzi expected to continue testifying.
In this trial, Muhyiddin faces seven charges — four counts of allegedly abusing his position to obtain RM225.3 million in bribes for Bersatu (from Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Azman Yusoff, Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd), and three counts of money laundering involving funds Bersatu allegedly received from Bukhary Equity.
Recommended reading:
- In Muhyiddin’s trial, businessman says brother donated part of company’s RM13.7m to Bersatu without his knowledge
- Muhyiddin’s trial: Mamfor’s RM19.5m ‘donations’ in 29 cheques to Bersatu flagged as suspicious, unusual to give money to political party, banker says
- Muhyiddin’s trial: Bank officer says Mamfor’s RM19.5m Bersatu donation ‘unusual’ as company sought several RM500,000 cheques on same day
