By Justin Cheng | The Edge Malaysia
Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s defence counsel zeroed in on timeline discrepancies in key prosecution witness Datuk Azman Yusoff’s written statements regarding the Tan Sri Muhyiddin Charity Golf (TSMCG) tournament, the High Court heard on Thursday.
Datuk Azman Yussof, managing director of KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd and president of the Bumiputera Contractors Association (PKBM), was cross-examined by lead defence counsel Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad regarding the precise timeline of his alleged one-on-one meeting with Muhyiddin, during which the then-prime minister allegedly made a spontaneous request for political donations following the tournament.
Under cross-examination, Azman admitted that his initial written witness statement recorded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Jan 15, 2023, had originally placed the private meeting at the Tropicana Golf & Country Resort as taking place in May 2020.
However, when the defence counsel pointed out that the strict Movement Control Order (MCO) nationwide enforcement during May 2020 meant no contact sports tournaments or public championships were allowed, Azman conceded that no golf tournament could have taken place at the resort that month. Azman was also pressed on why he failed to recall the exact dates of the event, despite serving as a TSMCG committee member.
When did the meeting with Muhyiddin occur?
Amer questioned Azman on how his account of the timeline had evolved over three years of investigations prior to court proceedings.
Amer: I suggest to you that in May 2020, Tropicana did not hold any golf championship.
Azman: Agreed.
Amer: If there was no golf tournament in May 2020, the so-called private discussion could not have happened?
Azman: Agreed.
Amer: So, based on all investigation and witness statements supplied to the defence, up to that point, the so-called discussion in May 2020 could not have taken place… unless the date is amended, your allegation could not have occurred?
Azman: Agreed.
Azman testified that he maintained the May 2020 meeting narrative in his original statement on Jan 15, 2023, and during four subsequent visits to the MACC in 2023. He acknowledged making no attempt to verify the dates with the Tropicana Golf & Country Resort throughout 2023, 2024 or 2025.
It was only shortly before making a supplementary witness statement on Aug 13, 2026, that Azman contacted the golf club to verify the tournament schedule.
While his supplementary witness statement and court testimony assert that the TSMCG tournament occurred around July 2020 in Damansara, Selangor, background records indicate that the only TSMCG tournament in 2020 was actually held in October 2020 in Desaru, Johor.
The defence highlighted that Azman’s revised witness statement was delivered to the defence team on July 31, 2026 — nearly two weeks before Azman formally recorded his supplementary statement with the MACC on Aug 13, 2026. Azman admitted he was unaware when the document was handed over to the defence, but maintained that he conducted his verification with the golf club prior to Aug 13.
According to court documents and his witness statement, Azman had paid a total of RM4.8 million to Bersatu via eight separate cheques.
He admitted that had KCJ Engineering failed to secure the Jana Wibawa project, neither he nor his company would have made any financial contribution to Bersatu.
It should be noted that KCJ Engineering had initially been rejected due to unsatisfactory work performance and a record of “sick” (delayed/failing) projects, before being re-evaluated on the Prime Minister’s Office’s instructions.
Muhyiddin, 79, faces seven charges in the trial — 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 three companies — including 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 1.
Edited by Aniza Damis
