KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — A key prosecution witness today agreed that he had come to court to testify against former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in order to save himself from being charged in his own corruption case.
Datuk Seri Azman Yusoff, 54, president of the Bumiputera Contractors Association of Malaysia (PKBM) and managing director of Bumiputera-owned KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, confirmed this as the prosecution’s 27th witness.
When asked by High Court judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin to clarify if his motive in coming to court as a prosecution witness was to save himself from corruption charges against him, Azman replied “agreed”.
Just before Noor Ruwena’s question, Azman however said he was unsure when asked the same question by Muhyiddin’s lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik.
Earlier today, Azman confirmed that he was a suspect in the MACC’s previous investigations on Jana Wibawa.
Azman’s case is based on a January 2023 complaint to the MACC alleging that he and other individuals had solicited and received bribes from contractors as a reward to help them obtain RM4.9 billion worth of Jana Wibawa projects.
Azman confirmed that his company KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd and his relative’s company Addeen Engineering Sdn Bhd had received a total of RM9.35 million from several constructors including RM1 million from Nepturis Sdn Bhd and RM600,000 from Mamfor Sdn Bhd.
But he disagreed with Hisyam’s suggestion that this meant that there was basis to the 2023 complaint to the MACC on the allegations that he had asked for and received bribes in connection with Jana Wibawa projects.
Azman also disagreed that Nepturis Sdn Bhd’s appointment letter to appoint KCJ Engineering as a consultant for a RM1 million payment was a “sham” to hide his receiving of bribes, and disagreed that he had made a “complete lie” in court when saying that KCJ Engineering did provide consulting services to Nepturis.
Among other things, Azman disagreed that the companies KCJ Engineering and Addeen Engineering would get more money as a reward, if he got more companies to participate in getting projects under Jana Wibawa.
Azman denied misusing or selling Muhyiddin’s name in order to convince these contractors.
Azman agreed he had an interest in Addeen Engineering which he said belonged to his in-law, and later confirmed that his son is a director in Addeen Engineering.
Azman confirmed that the MACC investigation against him has not been given a “No Further Action” (NFA) status, and that meant that the case against him was still live.
Just before this confirmation, he disagreed with Hisyam’s suggestion that he was testifying as an MACC witness against Muhyiddin to avoid being prosecuted for corruption charges.
When Hisyam suggested he could be charged for seeking and accepting bribes as there was evidence to show this, Azman said he was unsure.
Earlier, Azman said it was not odd that he had not been charged for receiving RM1 million from Nepturis Sdn Bhd, while Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad was charged for receiving RM2 million from the same company for helping it to obtain a Jana Wibawa project.
Hisyam: Not odd because you and MACC have made an understanding, a deal where you come to court, give evidence against Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, you will be given immunity, agree or not?
Azman: Disagree.
This afternoon, Muhyiddin’s lawyer Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad repeatedly sought to cast doubt on the accuracy of Azman’s testimony, by challenging the contractor on whether he had actually met with Muhyiddin in July 2020 at the Tropicana Golf Club.
Yesterday, Azman said that Muhyiddin had in the July 2020 meeting told him that the government had approved the Jana Wibawa programme, and that the then prime minister had “spontaneously” said contractors could donate directly to his party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
At one point, Amer pointed out that the Cabinet had only approved the Jana Wibawa programme in November 2020.
Amer suggested that this meant Azman’s claim about Muhyiddin’s Jana Wibawa programme remark was a “figment of your imagination as a result of watching and reading fiction books and stories”, but the businessman disagreed.
Azman yesterday said he and KCJ Engineering had donated RM4.8 million to Bersatu after securing a RM62 million government project under Jana Wibawa, while Nepturis had also been shown in this trial to have given RM1 million to Bersatu after getting a RM141 million project under Jana Wibawa.
Shahradzi Shamsuddin had previously also testified that his company Mamfor donated RM19.5 million to Bersatu as his younger brother’s company Sutracom Sdn Bhd was awarded a RM605.2 million project under Jana Wibawa.
Azman yesterday said all these donations were due to Muhyiddin’s spontaneous remark that contractors could donate directly to Bersatu instead of to individuals in Bersatu.
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 is scheduled to resume on September 1.
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