Ex-water dept director paid over RM500,000 in cash for condo unit, court told

 

Ag Mohd Tahir Ag Mohd Talib, his wife Fauziah Piut and his former deputy Lim Lam Beng are charged with 37 counts of money laundering involving RM61 million.

KOTA KINABALU: A witness in the Sabah water department corruption trial told the court that former department director Ag Mohd Tahir Ag Mohd Talib paid in cash half of the RM530,000 needed to purchase her condominium unit.

Christine Fiona M Ponsoi, 36, the prosecution’s ninth witness, who said she was a “close friend” of Tahir, also told the Special Corruption Court yesterday that Tahir had also paid RM300,000 in cash to an interior design company to renovate the unit, according to a report in the Daily Express.

Responding to a question during the examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Mahad Abdul Jumaat, she said she got a RM250,000 loan from a bank, with a payback scheme to last 35 years, to buy the unit in Puncak Luyang in 2014.

She said Tahir gave her RM280,000 in an envelope as the balance payment for the unit.

She added that Tahir also gave her between RM2,000 and RM10,000 every other month for payments for the RM1,500 monthly bank instalment and management fee.

She said she became acquainted with Tahir in 2003 when he visited a driving range in Likas where she worked part-time, adding that he was the deputy director then.

Ponsoi, who works as an officer in a firm here, said she and Tahir had been “close friends until now”, adding she knew he was married and had children.

Tahir, 58, is on trial with his wife, Fauziah Piut, 55, and former state water department deputy director Lim Lam Beng, 66.

The trio had on Dec 29, 2016 pleaded not guilty to 37 counts of money laundering involving RM61.57million.

Continuing her testimony, Ponsoi told the court that Tahir used her name to buy a Toyota Lexus in 2015.

To a question on the seizure of RM14,000 in cash from her condominium, she said an officer from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seized the money in October 2016.

She said Tahir had given her the money for expenses on the condominium unit and the vehicle, adding that MACC also took the Toyota Lexus grant, although the vehicle was still with her.

Asked why she was given the property and large amounts of cash, Ponsoi said it could be because of their friendship, adding Tahir also knew that she had wanted to buy a house.

When pressed further, she told the court that they were given as a gift to her.

Tahir and Fauziah were represented by Marcel Jude while Tan Hock Chuan, Baldev Singh and Karpaljit Singh appeared for Lim in the trial before Judge Abu Bakar Manat. - FMT