By Hafiz Yatim | The Edge Malaysia
Former finance minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz is expected to be the next prosecution witness in Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s abuse of power trial over the Jana Wibawa project. The trial will resume at the High Court on July 6.
Deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin informed judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin of this at the end of Monday’s (May 25) hearing. The judge lamented that the trial scheduled for Monday and Tuesday (May 26) had to end on Monday due to witnesses going on early Hari Raya Haji holidays, noting that this is a public interest case and should be prioritised.
The judge said there are still about 20 witnesses yet to testify, including Tengku Zafrul. She also urged both the prosecution and defence to ensure the trial proceeds smoothly and aims for the prosecution to close its case by Sept 14 before submissions are heard.
The defence, led by Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad, said it has not yet received Tengku Zafrul’s witness statement, as his testimony is expected to be lengthy. The court then ordered the prosecution to submit his witness statement by June 19, ahead of the July trial dates (July 6-17 and July 27-29), warning that no further delays would be accepted.
“I do not want to hear any more excuses of the witness statement being handed only on July 6, or any other reason.
“I know the defence has many counsels who may be involved in other cases or appeals at other courts, and likewise the prosecution has many DPPs handling [this case] to ensure the case proceeds smoothly. This court does not want to see the case stutter, as this case should be given priority. I am sure Tan Sri (Muhyiddin) would like to see an end (to this case) as this has restricted his movement. This case should finish, barring the current political climate,” judge Noor Ruwena said.
She also noted that she handles other cases, including murder and drug trafficking cases where accused persons remain in remand, unlike this case. She stressed that the Jana Wibawa trial should proceed without delay despite scheduling pressures.
Muhyiddin, who is Pagoh member of Parliament and Bersatu president, faces seven charges in total. These include four counts of abusing his position to obtain RM225.3 million in bribes linked to the Jana Wibawa project from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd, and Datuk Azman Yusoff.
He also faces three charges of receiving RM200 million in proceeds from unlawful activities from Bukhary Equity, allegedly deposited into Bersatu’s AmBank and CIMB accounts while he was prime minister.
SSM assistant registrar testify over Mamfor, Nepturis, Azman
Companies Commission Malaysia (SSM) assistant registrar R Harshini testified that Mamfor, registered at Taman Abadi Indah, is involved in construction work and has Shahradzi Shamssuddin and Fazidah Kassim as directors.
Harshini, the 10th prosecution witness, also testified that Nepturis, based in Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam, is a maintenance contractor company with Aliza Abdul Malek and Mohd Rizman Akum Khan as directors. Another company, KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, located in Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam, has Azman, Zulhelmi Mairin, and Mohd Zaid Yusoff as directors.
Nepturis, Mamfor, and Azman were named in the charge sheet related to Muhyiddin.
During cross-examination by Amer Hamzah, Harshini said that the public does not know who the real owners (beneficial owners) of the companies are, even though the companies are required to declare this information to the SSM.
When asked whether the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) could access these ownership details. She said the PMO would likely only have access to publicly available information, and she was unsure if it could obtain additional details about the real owners.
When re-examined by DPP Noralis Mat, Harshini was asked why she did not have information on the beneficial owners of the companies. She replied that obtaining such information was beyond her authority and power.
Edited by Presenna Nambiar
