Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s lawyer today challenged a businessman’s account of a 2020 meeting with Muhyiddin’s officer over the Jana Wibawa programme, questioning whether parts of his testimony had been fabricated.
During cross-examination, lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad referred KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd managing director Azman Yusoff to his witness statement, in which Azman claimed Muhyiddin’s then deputy private secretary, Asmar Asmadi Abdullah Sani, had shown him a list of 10 government-approved Jana Wibawa projects.
Azman said the meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in Parliament took place several days after he had met Muhyiddin privately at Tropicana Golf Club Damansara in mid-July 2020.
According to Azman, Muhyiddin had told him about Jana Wibawa during the golf club meeting and instructed him to meet Asmar for further details.
Amer, however, disputed the account, pointing out that then finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz had only proposed the term “Jana Wibawa” in a letter to Muhyiddin dated July 23, 2020.
Amer said Muhyiddin subsequently minuted the letter on Aug 3, agreeing to Tengku Zafrul’s proposal and began using the term from that date.
Azman disagreed, maintaining that Muhyiddin had verbally mentioned Jana Wibawa during their earlier private meeting.
Amer then suggested that the allegation had been directed by the prosecution.
When asked whether he had any evidence showing that Muhyiddin had used the term “Jana Wibawa” before July 23, Azman said he did not.
Azman also testified that in September 2020, he submitted a letter to Muhyiddin seeking support for a road construction project linking Felda Bukit Jalor to Gemas in Negeri Sembilan through direct tender.
He said the letter was handed to Asmar at the PMO.
KCJ Engineering later secured a RM62 million Jana Wibawa project on July 30, 2021.
Amer questioned how the letter had reached the Finance Ministry despite allegedly not being minuted by Muhyiddin.
He also pointed out that there was no evidence showing Muhyiddin had supported the letter.
Azman said he was unsure.
When Amer asked whether there was even an acknowledgement of receipt from Asmar, the PMO or the Finance Ministry, Azman agreed that there was none.
Amer further argued that Asmar could not have possessed a list of Jana Wibawa projects in July 2020 because Muhyiddin only agreed to use the term after minuting Tengku Zafrul’s letter on Aug 3.
Azman disagreed, but acknowledged that only Asmar could confirm whether such a list existed. Asmar is not listed as a prosecution witness.
Amer also challenged the timing of Azman’s alleged meeting with Asmar, arguing that it could not have taken place before Muhyiddin began using the term Jana Wibawa following Tengku Zafrul’s proposal.
Azman maintained his position.
Muhyiddin, 79, is facing four charges of using his position to solicit RM225.3 million in bribes for Bersatu from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd, Azman and KCJ Engineering.
He also faces three money laundering charges involving RM200 million allegedly received from Bukhary Equity and deposited into Bersatu’s accounts with AmBank and CIMB Bank.
The alleged offences are said to have taken place between March 1, 2020 and July 8, 2022.
The trial before High Court judge Noor Ruwena Nurdin continues on Sept 14.
