By Justin Cheng | The Edge Malaysia
Tensions flared in the corruption trial of former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Thursday as the defence grilled prosecution witness Datuk Azman Yusoff on key timeline shifts and repeated memory gaps during cross-examination.
Testifying in the High Court on Thursday, Azman, the managing director of KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, found himself under intense cross examination from lead defense counsel Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad regarding the sequence of events and meetings he had with Muhyiddin about Jana Wibawa, a government stimulus programme for Bumiputera contractors hit by the slowdown in construction during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Throughout questioning, Azman more than a dozen times repeatedly answered “I don’t know,” “not sure,” or “confidential government matter” when pressed on critical official records and core protocols.
The central point of contention was why Azman amended a date in his statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) about a key discussion with Muhyiddin, from May 2020 to mid-July 2020, after investigators contacted him in July 2026.
Azman had testified in a previous hearing that he had met Muhyiddin after a golf meet in July 2020, during which the former prime minister had allegedly sought political contributions from Bumiputera firms seeking Jana Wibawa contracts.
His company had secured a RM62 million road project under Jana Wibawa, and allegedly paid Muhyiddin’s Bersatu RM4.8 million.
Contradicting dates of private meet with Muhyiddin
Amer Hamzah argued that shifting the date contradicted Finance Ministry records.
Amer Hamzah: Only after being contacted by (MACC investigating officer) Mazery on July 23, 2026, did you look for a date other than May 2020, when you and Tan Sri could be said to be together at Tropicana. Agree?
Azman: Disagree.
Amer Hamzah: And before 2026 as well, when Tan Sri Muhyiddin’s case was already underway, you hadn’t made any checks or verifications with Tropicana until you were asked by Tuan Mazery on July 25, 2026. Agree?
Azman: Agree.
The court was shown a letter dated July 23, 2020, from then-finance minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, where it was first proposed to name the programme “Jana Wibawa”. Muhyiddin only minuted his agreement to on Aug 3, 2020.
The defence suggested it was impossible for prime minister’s aides or Azman to discuss Jana Wibawa projects in July 2020 prior to its formal approval.
When challenged on how Muhyiddin could have discussed a scheme named Jana Wibawa before the Finance Ministry proposed it, Azman maintained that the former prime minister had mentioned it spontaneously in the meeting at the golf club, but admitted he had no documentation because it was a “confidential government matter”.
Tensions flared in the courtroom as the defence challenged Azman’s shifting positions regarding a July 27, 2020, courtesy visit he paid to the prime minister at the Parliament building as president of the Malaysian Bumiputera Contractors Association. Azman claimed to have met Muhyiddin’s deputy senior private secretary, Asmar Asmadi Abdullah Sani, at that meeting.
Asked whether his application letter to secure the road project carried any supporting minute or signature from Muhyiddin, Azman conceded that the document produced in court contained no written endorsement from the former prime minister.
He acknowledged that he could not confirm whether the letter was ever brought to Muhyiddin’s attention, adding that any official receipt or internal routing between the PMO and the Finance Ministry remained unknown to him.
Muhyiddin, 79, faces four counts of abuse of power involving RM225.3 million in alleged gratification, and three counts of money laundering involving RM200 million.
He is accused of receiving bribes from Azman as well as two other companies — Nepturis Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd — allegedly for the benefit of Bersatu.
The trial before High Court judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin resumes on Sept 14.
Edited by Syed Azahedi
