Ku Nan said RM2 million was political donation, company executive tells court

Tadmonsori Holdings chief operating officer Mohd Hasbi Jaafar at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today.

KUALA LUMPUR: A company executive told the High Court in Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s RM2 million corruption trial here that he was told the money was meant for a political donation.

Mohd Hasbi Jaafar, the chief operating officer of Tadmonsori Holdings Sdn Bhd, said Tengku Adnan had told him this in a phone conversation.

“It is true,” he said during cross-examination by Tengku Adnan’s lawyer Tan Hock Chuan on whether the former minister had mentioned the RM2 million.

He also said he had never seen the RM2 million cheque in its physical form but that Tengku Adnan had shown him a copy of the cheque deposit slip on WhatsApp.

He said Aset Kayamas Sdn Bhd, which issued the cheque, has no business relationship with Tadmonsori.

Tan also asked Hasbi whether he knew that in June 2016, two by-elections were held for the Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar parliamentary seats.

Hasbi said he was aware that polling day was on June 18, four days after the RM2 million cheque from Aset Kayamas was credited into Tadmonsori’s bank account.

When asked by deputy public prosecutor Rullizah Abd Majid about the political donation, Hasbi said the money was treated as an advance to the company by Tengku Adnan.

“We understood it as a political donation. That is what I can say,” he added.

A witness from the Companies Commission of Malaysia previously told the court that Tengku Adnan is Tadmonsori’s biggest shareholder.

Deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim then asked Hasbi if the investigating officer from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had questioned him about the money being a political donation for the two by-elections.

However, Tan objected to the question, saying the issue was not previously raised.

High Court judge Zaini Mazlan then told Tan that he could ask a follow-up question.

The lawyer then asked Hasbi whether the investigating officer had questioned him about the political donation when recording his statement. Hasbi said no.

Tengku Adnan, popularly known as Ku Nan, was accused of receiving RM2 million from Aset Kayamas director Chai Kin Kong despite knowing that the businessman’s companies had dealings with the federal territories ministry, which was under him at the time.

The offence was allegedly committed at the Pusat Bandar Damansara CIMB bank branch here on June 14, 2016.

The charge was framed under Section 165 of the Penal Code, under which it is an offence for a public servant to obtain valuables without consideration.

Those found guilty can be jailed for up to two years and fined. - FMT