Muhyiddin Jana Wibawa Trial: Finance Manager Confirms RM800,000 Payout to Bersatu Followed Routine Donation Practice

KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — A senior finance manager from an engineering firm today testified that a controversial RM800,000 payout was handled as a routine corporate contribution rather than an anomalous political bribe. The key testimony was recorded during the high-profile Tan Sri Muhyiddin Jana Wibawa trial, shedding new light on the transaction methods used by contractors linked to government infrastructure initiatives.

The 19th prosecution witness, Zuriedah Deres @ Musa, who serves as the finance manager at KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, told the High Court that she was instructed to prepare four cheques totalling RM800,000 as donations to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) linked to a Jana Wibawa government project that had been awarded to the company. She noted that the company’s managing director, Datuk Azman Yusoff, ordered her to issue the cheques but did not provide further details about the project itself.

“As I recall, on Sept 1, 2022, Datuk Azman met me at the KCJ Engineering office at Bukit Jelutong Industrial Park, Shah Alam, Selangor, and instructed me to prepare the cheques as contributions to Bersatu amounting to RM800,000. I confirm that I prepared four cheques dated Sept 1, 2022, each valued at RM200,000. I also confirm that I wrote on all four cheques indicating that the payment was to Bersatu. The cheques were Maybank Islamic cheques, and the funds were drawn from KCJ Engineering’s Maybank Islamic account,” she said.

The evidence is central to the ongoing trial of former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who faces seven charges of abuse of power and money laundering. Zuriedah stated that because the two available directors, Mohd Zaid Yusoff and Zulhelmi Mairin, were only authorised to sign cheques up to RM200,000, she split the total amount into four separate documents before returning them to Azman.

Crucially for the defense, Zuriedah confirmed that the managing director’s instruction was not unusual, as the company regularly made such donations to mosques, schools, and other non-governmental organisations that requested support.

Company regularly made donations including other political parties

Under cross-examination by Muhyiddin’s lead counsel, Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad, the witness agreed that the company’s political giving was not necessarily exclusive. She conceded that she could not deny KCJ Engineering had contributed to other political parties as well, further confirming that Azman or the company had routinely engaged in making cash donations.

The 79-year-old Bersatu president and Pagoh Member of Parliament stands accused of using his former executive position to solicit RM232.5 million in bribes for his party from several corporate entities, including Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd, and Datuk Azman Yusoff. The prosecution alleges the offences occurred at the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya between March 2020 and August 2021.

Additionally, Muhyiddin faces three related money laundering charges involving RM200 million in unlawful proceeds. The defense maintains that the funds in question constituted legitimate, transparent political contributions rather than gratification for project distribution. The trial before High Court Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin is scheduled to resume tomorrow.

-NMT