Zahid’s brother paid RM5.9 mil with foundation trustee’s cheque, says witness

Court is told that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s younger brother, Mohamad Nasaee, bought two bungalows in Country Heights, Kajang, worth RM5.9 million.

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here today heard that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s younger brother, Mohamad Nasaee, bought two bungalows in Country Heights, Kajang, worth RM5.9 million using a cheque from Messrs Lewis & Co, a trustee of Yayasan Akalbudi, belonging to the former deputy prime minister.

Bee Garden Holdings Sdn Bhd director Lee Kim Tiong @ Lee Kim Yew, 65, who was the 57th prosecution witness, said the cheque was for the payment of the company’s two bungalows, which were sold to Yayasan Al-Falah, whose chairman of the board of trustees was Nasaee.

He said the bungalows were bought through a cheque dated Jan 4, 2017 for religious purposes as they were near the surau.

“Datuk Eric (a person who called him) said that the purchase had some connection with religion but I’m not sure whether it was true or not,” he said when responding to additional questions during cross-examination by lawyer Ahmad Zaidi Zainal.

Zaidi: Earlier, you said you know Datuk Zahid. Did you know that Yayasan Al-Falah, which bought these bungalow lots, had a connection with Datuk Zahid?

Lee: I know.

Zaidi: Did you know that the lots will be used for religious purposes, tahfiz or Islamic religious school?

Lee: I don’t know what they will be converted into. But I do know that they (Yayasan Al-Falah) bought the land because the bungalows were near the surau.

Lee, who is also the founder and chairman of Country Heights Holdings Berhad, also agreed with Zaidi’s proposal that the two bungalow units, which were used as showhouses, were sold below the market price due to their poor condition after being left unoccupied for a long time.

“Both homes were sold in 2017 at a price of RM150 psf.

“I agreed to sell one lot for RM3,022,500, which was then adjusted to RM3 million, and another one for RM2,885,250 which then was adjusted to RM2.9 million,” he said.

The businessman said the sale and purchase agreement was signed by him and another director of Bee Garden Holdings, Nik Hassan Nik Mohd Amin, on behalf of the seller while Nasaee was the buyer’s representative.

During re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Sazilee Abdul Khairi, the witness agreed with the suggestion that the reduction in prices of the bungalows had nothing to do with the fact that they were located near the surau, as raised by the defence.

For the 26th charge, Zahid is accused of having being involved in money-laundering, that is having given instructions with regard to the purchase of two bungalows for RM5.9 million, using a cheque belonging to Messrs Lewis & Co.

Zahid is facing 47 charges, with 12 of them involving criminal breach of trust, eight for corruption and 27 for money laundering, involving tens of millions of ringgit of funds belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.

The trial before Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow. - FMT