Zahid trial: Witness signed cheques for RM6m but didn't know for whom

The owner of Sarana Kencara Sdn Bhd (SKSB) Abu Hanifah Noordin did not know that the two cheques worth RM6 million he had signed were to be given to Messrs Lewis & Co, said to be a trustee of Yayasan Akalbudi.

Instead, he said he thought both cheques that he signed on April 25, 2017 at the request of his financial advisor, Chew Ben Ben, would be given to Umno and BN as political donations, as explained by Chew.

"I left the nominee blank because Chew requested me to," he said of the two cheques worth RM1 million and RM5 million respectively.

"I did a review with Chew and he informed me that Lewis & Co's payment cheques were a political contribution," he added, saying all payments to the law firm were beyond his knowledge and managed by Chew.

Abu Hanifah was the 32nd witness in the trial involving former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (above) which entered the 15th day today.

Ahmad Zahid, who served as minister of home affairs in April 2017 stands accused of receiving bribes from Chew to award a directly negotiated contract worth RM318.75 million from the Home Ministry to Datasonic Technologies Sdn Bhd (DTSB) to supply 12.5 million polycarbonate passport chips for a five-year period.

For the record, Abu Hanifah is also the former chief executive officer (CEO) and former largest shareholder of Datasonic Group Berhad (DGB), and director of DTSB, while Chew is also SKSB corporate advisor, DGB managing director and DTSB director.

SKSB is a company owned jointly by his wife.

Abu Hanifah said he used the SKSB cheque as it was a dividend from his investment, but he had been unable to declare it.

"If I had declared the dividend I received from SKSB earlier, I would have used a personal cheque to give to Chew," he said.

He added that Chew had been informed that the donation was for Umno and BN, and Abu Hanifah denied the money was a bribe to Ahmad Zahid.

“It was only after the investigation by the MACC that I learned that the RM1 million and RM5 million were paid to Lewis & Co and not to Umno or BN.

"I do not know whether Lewis & Co are the trustees of Umno and BN," he added. - Mkini