The High Court was told that RM24.4 million was paid to KCJ Engineering for the Felda Bukit Jalor-Gemas road project under the Jana Wibawa programme
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court was told today that RM24.4 million had been paid to an engineering and construction company for the project to build a new road linking Felda Bukit Jalor to Gemas.
Negeri Sembilan Public Works Department (JKR) director Datuk Wan Hasnan Wan Musa, 51, said the Malaysian government had accepted KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd’s tender worth RM62 million for the project, which had a contract period of 34 months.
“Based on the Government Procurement Procedures, I confirm that a contract must be finalised within three months from the date the Letter of Acceptance (LOA) is issued. I also confirm that the project commenced on Dec 22, 2021, and that I served as the Superintending Officer for the project,” the 17th prosecution witness said.
He said this while reading his witness statement at the trial of former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is facing seven charges of abuse of power and money laundering.
Previously, former finance minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz testified that KCJ Engineering was among 54 companies proposed by the then prime minister in a letter dated Nov 13, 2020, to undertake projects under the Jana Wibawa programme through direct negotiation.
Referring to payment vouchers issued by the Malaysian government through the Negeri Sembilan JKR to the company, Wan Hasnan, who has served as the state’s JKR director since Sept 1, 2021, also confirmed that payments totalling RM24.4 million were made through 10 transactions between May 26, 2022, and Feb 15, 2023, into KCJ Engineering’s bank account.
He also confirmed a payment voucher dated May 26, 2022, for RM10 million to KCJ Engineering, which represented an advance payment.
“I confirm that this payment was made as an advance payment under the contract for the project to build a new road linking Felda Bukit Jalor to Gemas.
“Based on this payment voucher, I confirm that RM10 million was paid into KCJ Engineering’s bank account,” he said during examination-in-chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Nur Iman Wan Mohd Afzal.
Meanwhile, Wan Hasnan also confirmed that three recommended payments totalling RM4.7 million for the same project were not made to the main contractor due to insufficient allocation.
At an earlier hearing, Maybank Shah Alam branch operations officer Chang Hui Chin, 50, told the court that four deposits totalling RM800,000 were made into Bersatu’s account by KCJ Engineering on Sept 1, 2022.
Meanwhile, when asked by Wan Nur Iman about the latest progress of the project, Wan Hasnan said it was expected to be fully completed by the end of July.
“The contractor has completed several portions of the project, and each district engineer reports the project’s progress at the monthly meeting. The remaining works are expected to be completed by the end of this month,” the witness said.
In response to questions from defence counsel Chetan Jethwani, representing Muhyiddin, the witness agreed that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) did not interfere in the process of disbursing payments or the advance payment to KCJ Engineering.
Muhyiddin, 79, who was the prime minister and Bersatu president at the material time, faces four charges of using his position to obtain RM225.3 million in bribes for the party from three companies, namely Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd, as well as from Datuk Azman Yusoff, in connection with the Jana Wibawa project.
He is alleged to have committed the offences at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Perdana Putra Building, Putrajaya, between March 1, 2020 and Aug 20, 2021, under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
The Pagoh MP also faces three charges of receiving RM200 million in proceeds from unlawful activities from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, which were deposited into Bersatu’s AmBank and CIMB Bank accounts in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur between February 2021 and July 2022.
Those charges were filed under Section 4(1)(b), read together with Section 87(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, which provides for a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a fine of five times the value of the proceeds of the unlawful activity or RM5 million, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
The trial before Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin continues tomorrow.
