UKSB gave Muhyiddin RM1.3 million, ex-admin tells Zahid trial

A witness told the Shah Alam High Court today that Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) gave RM1.3 million in funds to Muhyiddin Yassin in 2018.

David Tan Siong Sun, 47, the former administrative manager of the company, said this when the company’s ledger was shown to him at the corruption trial of former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi involving the foreign visa system (VLN) today.

When asked by Zahid’s lawyer Ahmad Zaidi Zainal who the “TSM” recorded in the ledger was, Tan said: “Tan Sri Muhyiddin.”

He told the court that the funds were given to Muhyiddin in cash payments on June 4, July 4 and Aug 23, 2018.

“On June 4, 2018, it was RM300,000; on July 4, it was RM500,000; and on Aug 23, it was RM500,000,” he said.

Tan also confirmed that in 2018, Muhyiddin was the home minister (after Zahid) and that the UKSB-VLN project was still under the home ministry’s purview.

Zaidi: Regarding TSM, I suggest to you that the payments were made in relation to the VLN for the government of the day?

Tan: Yes, for the government of the day.

Other names mentioned in today’s proceedings were Khairy Jamaluddin, Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Hishammuddin Hussein, Shafie Apdal and Anifah Aman, who were also stated in the UKSB ledger as well as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s forensic report.

Tan confirmed that based on the ledger, UKSB had given Khairy a total of RM3.7 million while Reezal Merican, based on MACC’s forensic report, had received between RM200,000 and RM300,000 from the company.

When asked if Reezal Merican was the deputy foreign minister at that time, Tan said: “I’m not sure.”

He however agreed with the lawyer’s suggestion that the “MOR” and “FM” stated in the ledger referred to the then “minister of rural”, Shafie, and “foreign minister” Anifah.

Zaidi: Most of the payments were political donations?

Tan: That’s correct.

Zaidi: Of course, (the payments) to Zahid were political donations, too?

Tan: That’s correct.

Meanwhile, Tan disagreed with a suggestion by Zahid’s other lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik that he had abetted two former UKSB directors, Harry Lee Vui Khiun and Wan Quoris Shah Wan Abdul Ghani, in committing corruption, money laundering, criminal breach of trust.

Zahid faces 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from UKSB as an inducement for himself in his capacity as a civil servant and the then home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the one-stop centre (OSC) in China and the VLN system, as well as to maintain the agreement to supply VLN integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the home ministry.

On another seven counts, Zahid was charged as home minister with obtaining for himself S$1,150,000, RM3 million, 15,000 Swiss francs and US$15,000 in cash from the same company in connection with his official work.

He is charged with committing all of the offences at Seri Satria, Presint 16, Putrajaya, and Country Heights, Kajang, between October 2014 and March 2018.

The trial before judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa continues on July 25.