Two bank officers told the High Court today that RM5 million had been deposited into a Bersatu account.
CIMB Bukit Tunku branch assistant manager Herdayanti Hasan, 44, confirmed that sums of RM2 million, RM1 million, RM500,000, and RM500,000 were withdrawn via cheques.
She said the cheques were made out to businessperson Azman Yusoff on Sept 24, 2021, and Nov 3, 2022, and were subsequently deposited into the party’s account.
“This document is the CIMB Bank statement belonging to Azman, and based on this statement, I confirm that withdrawals were made from Azman’s account,” she said.
Herdayanti was reading her witness statement during the trial of former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who faces seven charges of abuse of power and money laundering.
During examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Alis Izzati Azurin Rusdi, Herdayanti also confirmed Azman’s personal account opening application form.
When asked by Muhyiddin’s defence counsel, Amer Hamzah Arshad, whether the witness knew the purpose of the payment cheques, Herdayanti replied that she was not certain.
The seventh prosecution witness agreed with the defence counsel that all payments involving cheques would generate records from both the issuing bank and the receiving account.
Amer Hamzah: Therefore, any payment made by cheque is a transparent transaction with a proper record.
Herdayanti: Yes, I agree.
Meanwhile, Maybank Kota Kemuning branch assistant manager Alfian Othman, 57, testified that on Feb 21, 2022, Nepturis Sdn Bhd made a RM1 million transaction via cheque.
The eighth prosecution witness further informed the court that the cheque, dated Feb 16, 2022, was honoured on Feb 21, 2022, and paid to Bersatu.
Alfian also agreed with Amer Hamzah’s suggestion that the cheque issued by Nepturis was not meant for Muhyiddin personally, but rather for Bersatu.
He further agreed that the cheque payment had been properly recorded, was transparent, and that nothing was concealed.
Muhyiddin’s charges
Muhyiddin, 78, who is the 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 Azman 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.
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 before judge Noor Ruwena Nurdin will resume on April 28.
- Bernama
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