Between September 22, 2021, and November 22, 2022, companies and individuals awarded contracts under the Jana Wibawa programme deposited a total of RM25.3 million into Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) bank accounts, according to court testimony today in Kuala Lumpur [1, 2, 3, 4].
The payments were made by KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd, Sutracom Sdn Bhd, and KCJ Engineering director Datuk Seri Azman Yusoff, officials said [1, 2, 3, 4]. These sums were deposited into Bersatu's CIMB Bank and AmBank accounts controlled by former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin [2, 3, 4].
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer Mazery Md Zaini testified that the RM25.3 million were not political donations but gratification payments given as returns for assistance by Muhyiddin in helping the companies secure Jana Wibawa contracts [1, 2, 3, 4]. Mazery said, "The money deposited by these companies was not a political donation, but a return for the accused's actions in helping them obtain the projects and was not a coincidence" [3].
Further evidence showed that the payments followed the issuance of Letters of Acceptance (SST) for the Jana Wibawa projects. Mazery noted that "all project application letters were sent to the accused and, secondly, the money was only deposited into the Bersatu party account after they received the SST and not before" [4]. No receipts or acknowledgments were issued by Bersatu confirming these payments as donations [3, 4].
Azman Yusoff was initially named a suspect for soliciting bribes but was not charged. He became a prosecution witness, with testimony showing that his payments totaling RM4.8 million to Bersatu were made on Muhyiddin's instructions, reflecting Muhyiddin's top executive role in the transactions [1]. Mazery stated, "Azman’s financial contributions to Bersatu, which totalled RM4.8 million across multiple cheques, were made upon an alleged spontaneous request by Muhyiddin, who was the prime minister at the material time" [1].
Muhyiddin also assisted companies Nepturis and Sutracom by making notes on their Jana Wibawa project applications to facilitate their processing through pre-qualification [3, 4].
The payments and contracts under the programme occurred over 14 months from late 2021 to late 2022 before the official complaint naming Azman Yusoff as a suspect was filed in January 2023 [1]. The trial continues with testimony clarifying the nature of the RM25.3 million payments into Bersatu accounts related to Jana Wibawa projects [1, 2, 3, 4].
