By Faisal Asyraf | Free Malaysia Today
A businessman who claimed to have met former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin at a golf club in 2020 was unable to confirm to the High Court exactly when the meeting took place.
During cross-examination in Muhyiddin’s corruption trial, defence counsel Amer Hamzah Arshad pressed prosecution witness Azman Yusoff over inconsistencies in his evidence.
In his witness statement, Azman asserted that Muhyiddin discussed the Jana Wibawa programme with him during a private meeting at Tropicana Golf Club. He said the meeting took place after the TSMCG tournament.
Azman, the 27th prosecution witness and president of the Bumiputera Contractors’ Association, initially claimed the meeting occurred in May 2020. He later revised the date to July 2020 in a supplementary statement.
Amer, however, challenged Azman’s evidence, claiming both dates were incorrect.
Amer: Did you know that the only golf tournament organised by TSMCG in 2020 took place in October, not even in July?
Azman: I’m not sure.
Amer: You said you were a TSMCG committee member?
Azman: I agree.
Amer: And you couldn’t confirm that the only TSMCG tournament in 2020 was held in October in Desaru?
Azman: I don’t remember.
Amer also questioned Azman’s decision to amend the date of the alleged meeting to July 2020, three years after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) recorded his statement.
Azman told the court that he had gone to Tropicana Golf Club to verify the date of the tournament before giving another statement to MACC on Aug 13 this year.
Amer, however, argued that Azman could have verified the tournament date prior to 2026.
Amer: You went to the MACC four times in 2023, yet you never made any attempt to verify the information?
Azman: I agree.
Amer: And you proceeded to maintain that the meeting took place in May 2020 and maintained this narrative from Jan 13, 2023, until Aug 13, 2026?
Azman: That’s right.
Muhyiddin, the Bersatu president, is charged with four counts of abusing his position to solicit RM225.3 million in bribes for the party from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd, Azman, and KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd.
The 79-year-old also faces three counts of money laundering involving RM200 million allegedly received from Bukhary Equity and deposited into Bersatu’s accounts at AmBank and CIMB Bank.
He is alleged to have committed the offences between March 1, 2020, and July 8, 2022.
Deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin leads the prosecution team.
The trial before Justice Noor Ruwena Nurdin continues on Sept 1.
