Money trail stopped at Ku Nan’s firm, court told

KUALA LUMPUR: The money trail for the RM2mil – allegedly meant for Umno – stopped at Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd, a company in which Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor is a majority shareholder, instead of the political party, the High Court heard.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Julia Ibrahim told the court that despite the claim by the defence team for the former Federal Territories minister that the RM2mil – given by Aset Kayamas Sdn Bhd managing director Tan Sri Chai Kin Kong – was meant as a political donation, there was no evidence to show that the funds were transferred from Tadmansori Holdings’ accounts to Umno.

DPP Julia said this in her submission at the end of the prosecution’s case at Tengku Adnan’s corruption trial yesterday.

Tengku Adnan was charged on Jan 23 under Section 165 of the Penal Code for accepting RM2mil from Chai via a Hong Leong Islamic Bank cheque belonging to his company, which was deposited into the CIMB Bank account of Tadmansori Holdings on June 14,2016, when it was known that he had a connection with Aset Kayamas when he was the then Federal Territories minister.

DPP Julia said that fifth prosecution witness Rabiatul Adawiyah Sobri had told the court that there had been no payment made from Tadmansori Holdings to Umno.

A Tadmansori Holdings assistant manager for accounts and finance had told the court that since she started working in Tadmansori Holdings in 2013, there had been no transaction from the company to Umno.

“The money trail for the RM2mil showed that it went to Tadmansori Holdings, ” said DPP Julia.

“There was a deposit of RM2mil and there was no withdrawal or transfer to Umno. The money trail stops there (Tadmansori Holdings).”

In her submission, she also said the prosecution needed to prove the mens rea (knowledge) element of the alleged criminal act, and this she said was established during the trial.

Chai, as the prosecution’s 19th witness, had during the trial said that he had “personally” sent an application letter to develop the Federal Territories Affordable Housing Project (Rumawip) to Tengku Adnan.

“The element that needed to be proven by the prosecution is that the accused (Tengku Adnan) had knowledge as the then Federal Territories minister that his official duties included Rumawip, ” she said.

Earlier, defence counsel Datuk Tan Hock Chuan said that the defence had already created reasonable doubt that the RM2mil was meant as a political donation to Umno, as testified by Chai, and not to benefit Tengku Adnan himself.

“If the accused had wanted to commit an offence, he would not be so stupid to have the money banked into Tadmansori Holdings. This particular charge (receiving the money) is not for himself, ” he said.

High Court judge Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan then fixed Oct 14 to rule whether Tengku Adnan would have to enter his defence.

Tengku Adnan was charged on Jan 23 under Section 165 of the Penal Code for accepting RM2mil via a Hong Leong Islamic Bank cheque belonging to his company, which was deposited into the CIMB Bank account of Tadmansori Holdings when it was known that Aset Kayamas had a connection with his official duties as the then Federal Territories minister. - Star