Witness Says Construction Firm Borrowed RM19.5 Million to Donate to Bersatu While Seeking Government Project
KUALA LUMPUR: A managing director of a construction company told the High Court that his company borrowed RM19.5 million to make political donations to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) after a businessman allegedly suggested the contributions would help secure a government contract under the Jana Wibawa programme.
Shahradzi Shamsuddin, managing director of Mamfor Sdn. Bhd., gave the testimony while appearing as the 20th prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former prime minister and Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is facing charges of abuse of power and money laundering.
According to Shahradzi, he was introduced to businessman Datuk Azman Yusoff in mid-2020 and frequently encountered him at the Ministry of Works. He described Azman as someone he believed had close ties with the ministry and influence over its officials.
The witness told the court that he sought Azman’s assistance in April or May 2021 regarding a Public Works Department (JKR) project that his younger brother’s company, Sutracom Sdn. Bhd., was bidding for.
During that period, Shahradzi testified that Azman contacted him and requested that he make a financial contribution to Bersatu, allegedly saying that he would assist Sutracom in obtaining the project.
According to the witness, no specific donation amount was requested. Instead, he estimated an appropriate contribution would be between three and four per cent of the contract value, describing the figure as consistent with what he referred to as “industry talk” within the construction sector.
Shahradzi said Mamfor ultimately donated RM19.5 million to Bersatu through cheques, comprising RM10.5 million before the project was awarded and RM9 million after the contract was awarded in October 2022.
He further testified that the company financed the donations by borrowing RM7 million from Majulia Sdn. Bhd., a company owned by his mother, Rahmah Kassim, and RM13.772 million from Sutracom Sdn. Bhd., which is owned by his younger brother.
The witness said Azman did not specify how the donations should be made, adding that he personally chose to issue cheques because he considered that method more transparent than cash.
Shahradzi also told the court that he personally delivered the cheques issued by Mamfor to administrative staff at Bersatu’s headquarters in Bangunan Yayasan Selangor in Petaling Jaya.
Earlier in the trial, banking records and testimony from bank officers were presented showing that Bersatu received RM19.5 million from Mamfor through 29 separate cheques issued between 2021 and 2022.
The testimony forms part of the prosecution’s case against Muhyiddin. The allegations presented in court remain subject to judicial determination, and the former prime minister has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Under Malaysia’s legal system, he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty by the court.
