The High Court hears that the information submitted to the Companies Commission of Malaysia regarding Nepturis’ shareholding structure did not amount to deception.
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today heard that there was no deception in the information submitted to the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) regarding the shareholding structure of Nepturis Sdn Bhd.
The prosecution’s 13th witness, Nepturis director and shareholder Aliza Abd Malek, 47, said this during cross-examination by defence counsel Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad at the trial of former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is facing four charges of abuse of power and three counts of money laundering linked to the ‘Jana Wibawa’ programme.
Amer Hamzah: About the 30 per cent shareholding held by TC Lian (Lian Tan Chuan), this information was not disclosed to SSM. Correct?
Aliza: TC Lian gave Mohd Rizman (Mohd Rizman Akum Khan) and me the opportunity to take over Nepturis. According to SSM records, TC Lian transferred his entire 100 per cent shareholding to Mohd Rizman and me.
Amer Hamzah then asked whether the failure to provide SSM with accurate and complete information amounted to deception, to which Aliza replied that it did not.
Aliza said although she and Mohd Rizman were the company’s directors and shareholders, TC Lian was the individual who had injected capital into Nepturis.
Earlier, in her witness statement, Aliza said that in 2018, she and Mohd Rizman took over Nepturis from TC Lian and were appointed directors and shareholders, each holding a 50 per cent stake in the company.
The witness said although TC Lian’s name did not appear in Nepturis’ corporate records, he held a 30 per cent interest in the company, a fact known to both her and Mohd Rizman.
Aliza said the registration of her and Mohd Rizman’s names with SSM was valid despite the capital injection by TC Lian, adding that no legal action had been taken against her, Mohd Rizman, TC Lian or Nepturis.
In response to Deputy Public Prosecutor Noralis Mat on TC Lian’s role in the company, Aliza said she had known him for a long time and that he had given her and Mohd Rizman the opportunity to improve their lives by managing the company.
“He entrusted Mohd Rizman and me to manage Nepturis. There were no restrictions on TC Lian being involved in the company’s administration. However, Mohd Rizman and I had the authority to sign all financial documents, while TC Lian was kept informed of all developments in the company,” she said.
Aliza agreed with Amer Hamzah’s suggestion that Muhyiddin had no interest in Nepturis throughout his tenure as prime minister.
Amer Hamzah: The only individuals connected to Nepturis are you, Rizman and TC Lian. Correct?
Aliza: Correct.
When asked by Noralis whether Muhyiddin was aware of Nepturis’ ownership structure, Aliza said she had no knowledge of the matter and that only TC Lian could answer the question.
The witness also told the court that apart from the North Klang district police headquarters project in Selangor, Nepturis had also been awarded three other projects, namely the National Disease Control Centre in Negeri Sembilan, the Central Spine Road project in Kerteh and a school project in Bukit Petiti, Kuala Terengganu.
In response to Amer Hamzah’s question on her salary when she joined Nepturis, Aliza said she received a basic monthly salary of RM6,500 as a director, a RM6,000 allowance and a two-month annual bonus.
Meanwhile, the court also heard testimony today from the 14th prosecution witness, senior supervising civil engineer Ir Saipullah Husin, 58.
Muhyiddin, 79, who was prime minister and Bersatu president at the time, is facing four charges under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 of allegedly abusing his position to obtain RM225.3 million in gratification for the party in connection with the Jana Wibawa programme between March 2020 and August 2021.
He also faces three charges 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 involving RM200 million allegedly deposited into Bersatu’s bank accounts between February 2021 and July 2022.
The offences carry maximum prison terms of 20 years and 15 years respectively, in addition to fines, upon conviction.
