An MACC investigating officer denies in court that Datuk Seri Azman Yusoff received special treatment or immunity in Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s Jana Wibawa trial.
KUALA LUMPUR: The investigating officer in the Jana Wibawa case involving Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today denied in the High Court that his investigation was biased, or that KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd director Datuk Seri Azman Yusoff received special treatment, including immunity and protection.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer Mazery Mohd Zaini, 42, said this during cross-examination by lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik in the trial of the former prime minister, who faces seven charges of abuse of position and money laundering.
The 29th prosecution witness disagreed with the lawyer’s suggestion that he was protecting Azman because the businessman was a witness testifying in court against Muhyiddin.
Hisyam: I put it to you that he (Azman) received special treatment because there was a ‘deal’ with the MACC, and that when Datuk Azman testified, he would be granted immunity and protection. Do you agree or not?
Mazery: I do not agree.
However, Mazery, who is now head of Branch B Investigation at MACC headquarters in Putrajaya, acknowledged that Azman was not remanded during the probe into the Jana Wibawa case.
In earlier proceedings, Azman, who is the 27th prosecution witness, testified that he was neither remanded nor charged in court because he had not committed any offence in relation to allegations that he had solicited and received money from contractor companies linked to the procurement of Jana Wibawa projects.
Responding to Hisyam’s question on whether he knew and had investigated an individual named Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad, Mazery said he knew Adam Radlan but had not investigated him.
The witness said he was also unaware whether Adam Radlan, through his company Bayu Bumiraya Sdn Bhd, had received RM2 million from businessman Lian Tan Chuan (TC Lian) or from Nepturis Sdn Bhd in connection with the Jana Wibawa projects.
Hisyam: Azman and Adam Radlan received payments from Nepturis or TC Lian, correct? Adam Radlan received RM2 million, Datuk Azman received RM1 million. Adam Radlan was charged in court, but Datuk Azman was not. Is this not strange?
Mazery: To me, no.
When questioned by another of Muhyiddin’s lawyers, Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad, on whether Muhyiddin was aware of contributions made by Nepturis and Mamfor Sdn Bhd, the witness said he did not know.
Earlier, Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin allowed the defence’s application to recall four prosecution witnesses who had completed their testimony in the trial, on the condition that the questions posed would be confined to contributions to Bersatu and matters related to Adam Radlan.
The four prosecution witnesses are Azman, Lian (SP21), MACC Assistant Supt Mohd Syawaludin Said (SP1) and Mamfor Sdn Bhd director Shahradzi Shamsuddin (SP20).
Muhyiddin, 79, who was then Prime Minister and Bersatu president, was charged with four counts of abuse of power for allegedly soliciting RM232.5 million in bribes for the political party from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd, and Datuk Azman Yusoff in connection with the Jana Wibawa project.
He was accused of committing the offence at the Prime Minister’s Office, Bangunan Perdana Putra, Putrajaya between March 1, 2020, and Aug 20, 2021, under Section 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
The Pagoh MP also faces three charges of receiving RM200 million in unlawful proceeds from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, which were deposited into Bersatu’s Ambank and CIMB Bank accounts, allegedly committed in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur between February 2021 and July 2022.
These charges were brought under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of either five times the value of the proceeds from unlawful activities or RM5 million, whichever is higher.
The trial resumes tomorrow.
