Kuala lumpur: The managing director of Mamfor Sdn Bhd (MFSB) revealed in the High Court today that he contributed RM19.5 million to Bersatu to aid his brother's company, Sutracom Sdn Bhd, in securing the Pulau Indah Ring Road Phase 3 project under the Jana Wibawa programme.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Shahradzi Shamsuddin, 44, testified that businessman Datuk Azman Yusoff contacted him in April and May 2021, requesting a donation to Bersatu, promising assistance for Sutracom in obtaining the project. Shahradzi confirmed that more than RM7 million was borrowed from his mother's company, Majulia Sdn Bhd (MSB), while RM13.7 million came from Sutracom, owned by his brother, Shahrin.
Mamfor's contribution to Bersatu, made at Datuk Azman's request, was intended to help Sutracom secure the project, and Shahradzi mentioned he was told it could be successful. The testimony was part of the trial against the former prime minister, who faces seven charges of abuse of power and money laundering.
In prior proceedings, the 19th prosecution witness, Zuriedah Deres @ Musa, identified Azman as the managing director of KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd. Shahradzi contacted Azman in April or May 2021 to request assistance at the Works Ministry regarding Sutracom's project after receiving a pre-qualification invitation from the Public Works Department (JKR).
Shahradzi stated that RM10.5 million was given before Sutracom received the letter of acceptance (SST), while the remaining RM9 million was provided after the SST was issued. Azman did not specify an amount or percentage for the contribution, but Shahradzi estimated it to be between three and four percent of the contract value obtained.
In February 2022, Sutracom submitted a tender valued at RM605.2 million to JKR, which issued the SST to the company in October 2022. During examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Shahradzi confirmed the RM19.5 million was a reward, not a donation or remuneration.
Shahradzi acknowledged the substantial amount and mentioned he had not donated to any other political party. Without the RM19.5 million donation to Bersatu, the funds would have been used for company operations, savings, asset purchases, and debt settlement.
Azman did not specify the payment method, but Shahradzi personally handed over the cheque at the Bersatu office in Petaling Jaya to a staff member. He never delivered it to any Bersatu leader. Shahradzi prepared six letters of intent to bid for the project using licenses from six contractor companies owned by his brother and an acquaintance.
The letters, prepared with consent from the companies' owners, were sent to Muhyiddin, then Prime Minister, seeking support for the company's participation in the pre-qualification tender. Muhyiddin, 79, then Prime Minister and Bersatu president, faces four counts of abuse of power for allegedly soliciting RM232.5 million in bribes from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd, and Datuk Azman Yusoff related to the Jana Wibawa project.
The offences, allegedly committed at the Prime Minister's Office, Putrajaya, between March 1, 2020, and August 20, 2021, fall under Section 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009, with a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of five times the gratification value or RM10,000, whichever is higher. The Pagoh MP also faces three charges of receiving RM200 million in unlawful proceeds from Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, deposited into Bersatu's bank accounts, between February 2021 and July 2022.
These charges, under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, carry a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment and a fine of either five times the value of the proceeds from unlawful activities or RM5 million, whichever is higher. The trial before Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin resumes tomorrow.