Witness Says Hamzah Zainuddin’s Ex-PolSec Demanded 5% Cut of RM381m PDRM Tender

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — The Sessions Court was informed today that Sayed Amir Muzzakkir Al Sayed Mohamad, a former political secretary to former Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, allegedly requested a five per cent cut from a RM381 million Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) maintenance tender as political funding for Bersatu.

Testifying as the 12th prosecution witness, Nexuscorpgroup Sdn Bhd (NSB) director Ismuni Johari, 58, revealed that the request was conveyed during a 30-minute meeting in May 2020 at Sayed Amir Muzzakkir’s office at Yayasan Tanah Aku in Publika, which was also attended by NSB managing director Wan Azhar Mohamed Yusof.

Reading from his witness statement, Ismuni testified that Wan Azhar had briefed him on the financial demand following the meeting.

“After the meeting, Wan Azhar told me that Sayed Amir Muzzakkir had requested a portion of five per cent of the RM381 million tender value in return for helping NSB secure the contract,” Ismuni told the court.

“I agreed because Wan Azhar and I wanted the company to obtain the tender. Wan Azhar also told me that NSB needed to prepare an agreement relating to the five per cent portion,” he added.

Ismuni explained that although the accused originally sought a lump-sum payment within three to four months after the Letter of Acceptance was issued, NSB objected due to insufficient cash reserves and countered with an instalment arrangement.

During examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Hazel Tan Jia Qi, the witness expressed his conviction that the accused used his official position to influence the tender process.

“I believe NSB would most likely not have secured the tender if Wan Azhar and I had refused the request for the five per cent payment,” Ismuni stated.

“I also believe Sayed Amir Muzzakkir assisted NSB in obtaining the tender because he was the political secretary to the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, at the time,” he added.

Ismuni further testified that on April 28, 2020, Wan Azhar presented a Project Advisory Agreement executed between MKM Solutions Sdn Bhd and NSB for him to witness, noting he believed MKM Solutions was linked to the accused. He added that while Wan Azhar signed the cheques and approved online disbursements, he was not directly involved in preparing the tender documents or handling operational payments.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel Datuk Yaacob Md Sam, Ismuni rejected suggestions that the May 2020 meeting never took place and firmly denied that his account of the five per cent payment demand was fabricated.

Sayed Amir Muzzakkir, 43, pleaded not guilty on May 23, 2024, to three corruption charges involving a total of RM350,000. He is accused of accepting RM350,000 in bribes from Wan Azhar as an inducement to assist NSB in securing the RM381 million tender for maintaining and supplying spare parts for PDRM’s RMPNet infrastructure, servers, software, and radio systems.

The offences were allegedly committed at the Yayasan Tanah Aku office in Solaris Dutamas on Dec 4 and Dec 16, 2020, alongside an additional charge of soliciting RM350,000 at NSB’s office in Shah Alam in early December 2020.

The charges are framed under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the bribe amount or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

The trial before Judge Rosli Ahmad continues tomorrow.

-NMT