KUALA LUMPUR (May 25): Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denied that a payment of RM13 million made to him was for a bribe for MYEG projects.

The person who paid was textile wholesaler Junaith Asharab Md Shariff who, through his company Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services, in 2016 and 2017 had paid RM8 million in 13 cheques to the accounts of Lewis and Co who were acting as trustees for Zahid.

Junaith, through his company Berani & Jujur Trading, had also given Zahid RM5 million in 10 cheques to Lewis and Co.

These transactions make up two out of Zahid’s 47 charges whereby he is accused of receiving a grand total of RM21.25 million in cheques as an inducement by entities for his assistance in awarding contracts in his role as then Home Minister.

Zahid on Wednesday said that the money from Junaith was for the construction of mosques and tahfiz schools in his Parliamentary constituency of Bagan Datuk.

He then denied ever giving out government contracts to Junaith especially MYEG.

“I never promised (his) the company anything in return. I deny having received the money as a bribe,” he said before Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

He added that the MYEG projects to supply passport chips and be the operator of the migrant visa one-stop centres in Pakistan and Nepal was not even under the purview of his Ministry back then.

“I declare that I never promised any MYEG projects to Junaith, any donation given as MYEG is not under the purview of the Home Ministry and this was confirmed by Junaith when he took the stand,” he said.

Junaith had also previously testified that the cheques were for building a mosque and a tahfiz school in Bagan Datuk.

He also reiterated that MYEG has nothing to do with him personally.

“It (the company) has got nothing to do with me personally but as far as I know, MYEG was awarded contracts by the Ministry of Finance,” he said.

Zahid was reading from a witness statement he gave to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in October 2018 while under investigation and was also answering questions put to him by his lawyer.

Zahid says he has enough personal money to settle credit card bills, did not need to use charity’s money

Earlier, Zahid said that the monthly balances in his personal bank account were sufficient to settle his credit card bills without requiring him to use funds from his charitable organisation Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB).

Zahid had reiterated many times on the stand that it was the negligence of his former executive secretary Major Mazlina Mazlan Ramly who negligently used cheques from the foundation to pay for his personal credit card expenditures.

"The balance in my personal bank account every month was more than sufficient to pay for my personal credit cards,” he said.

Zahid was referred to the balances in his Maybank account between 2014 and 2016 by his lawyer Hamidi Mohd Noh, which had a minimum of RM100,000 and maximum of RM600,000, while his credit card bills ranged from RM600 to RM215,000 during the same period.

The trial began on Nov 18, 2019.

For the CBT charges, Ahmad Zahid was alleged to have used the funds to make six payments for his personal credit cards usage, insurance policy and licence for his personal vehicles, remittances to a law firm and contributions to the Royal Malaysia Police Football Association.

The offences were allegedly committed at Affin Bank Berhad branch on Jalan Bunus off Jalan Masjid India, here, between Jan 13, 2014, and Dec 23, 2016.

The charges, under Section 409 of the Penal Code, provide for a jail term of between two and 20 years, and with whipping, and fine, upon conviction.
Ahmad Zahid was also charged with eight counts of bribery, where he was alleged to have accepted bribes from three companies, namely Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services, Datasonic Group Bhd and Profound Radiance Sdn Bhd as an inducement for him, in his capacity as Home Minister then, to help the companies obtain MYEG projects, supply passport chips and to be appointed the operator of the migrant visa one-stop centres in Pakistan and Nepal, respectively.

He was charged with committing the offences, framed under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, at the Maybank branch at Dataran Maybank on Jalan Maarof, Bangsar, here, between July 15, 2016, and March 15, 2018.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also UMNO president, also faces 27 charges of money laundering by engaging in direct transactions involving income from illegal activities between March 29, 2016, and April 11, 2018.

All the offences were allegedly committed at Malayan Banking Berhad, Dataran Maybank branch, Level 1, Tower A, No. 1 Jalan Maarof, Bangsar and Marhaba Enterprise Sdn Bhd, LG 1.15, Fahrenheit88, 179 Jalan Bukit Bintang, here, between March 29, 2016, and April 11, 2018.