The former finance minister says the matter was raised for the first time in the Cabinet on Nov 13, 2020 at a meeting chaired by then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
Tengku Zafrul, 53, said it was the first time the matter was raised in a Cabinet meeting during his tenure as finance minister.
Asked by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin whether Cabinet meetings were government secrets, Tengku Zafrul replied that all Cabinet meetings were confidential.
The 11th prosecution witness was testifying at the trial of Muhyiddin, who faces seven charges of abuse of power and money laundering.
Under cross-examination by Muhyiddin’s counsel, Amer Hamzah Arshad, Tengku Zafrul agreed that the minutes of a meeting were not mandatory directives, and acknowledged that he had received numerous meeting minutes from Muhyiddin.
Amer Hamzah: How many meeting minutes did you receive from Muhyiddin?
Tengku Zafrul: I’m not certain … many.
Asked about the proposal letters for the appointment of 54 contractors under Jana Wibawa, he agreed that no evidence had been presented to the prosecution indicating that Muhyiddin had any personal or financial interest in the companies concerned.
Yesterday, Tengku Zafrul said Muhyiddin had issued letters proposing the appointment of 54 contractors to carry out 54 projects under Jana Wibawa via direct negotiation.
Although the projects were implemented through direct negotiation, he said the companies concerned were still required to undergo an evaluation process in accordance with government financial and procurement procedures.
Tengku Zafrul also agreed with Amer’s suggestion that direct negotiation was a common practice, particularly for projects involving national security, public interest and due to urgent circumstances.
He also agreed with the lawyer’s suggestion that none of the projects could be implemented by a single minister alone, but instead required approval from a higher authority.
The Jana Wibawa programme was aimed at stimulating the development of Bumiputera contractors and revitalising the country’s construction sector amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its primary objective was to assist Bumiputera contractors and building material suppliers who were impacted by the pandemic, while ensuring the continuity of economic activity within the construction sector.
Tengku Zafrul agreed with Amer that contractors were “severely affected” at the time, and that assistance extended to them would have a trickle-down effect on the economy.
“You could see the difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises, Bumiputera contractors, and the entire ecosystem. It was based on these concerns and considerations that we proposed Jana Wibawa,” he said.
Muhyiddin, 79, faces seven charges linked to the Jana Wibawa programme.
The Bersatu president is charged with four counts of abusing his position to solicit RM225.3 million in bribes from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd and Azman Yusoff, allegedly for Bersatu.
The offences were allegedly committed at the Prime Minister’s Office between March 1, 2020 and Aug 20, 2021.
Muhyiddin 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.
The offences are said to have taken place at AmBank in Petaling Jaya and CIMB Bank on Jalan Stesen Sentral between Feb 25, 2021 and July 8, 2022.
The trial before Justice Noor Ruwena Nurdin resumes tomorrow. - FMT
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