KUALA LUMPUR: A finance ministry official told the High Court here today that while the Prime Minister’s Office did not directly interfere in decisions involving Jana Wibawa projects, instructions to assess construction firms came from the PMO through the ministry.
Rosni Yusoff, who chaired the Jana Wibawa contractor assessment committee under the ministry’s government procurement division, testified earlier that the PMO or then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin did not interfere in the committee’s decision-making process.
She was testifying as a prosecution witness in Muhyiddin’s corruption trial today.
During cross-examination, Rosni, 54, agreed with Muhyiddin’s lawyer, Chetan Jethwani, that she did not receive any order from the PMO, and that neither Muhyiddin nor the PMO interfered in the process or outcome of the committee’s meetings.
However, during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Noralis Mat, Rosni was asked to clarify the answers she gave to Chetan, which appeared to contradict her witness statement that the committee would not assess companies that had not been recommended by the PMO.
“I received an instruction through a memo, and the memo was from the PMO to the finance minister’s office.
“The latter then sent it to the procurement division secretary, who minuted it to me. From there, we would evaluate the companies involved and after the evaluation was completed, bring it before the Jana Wibawa contractor assessment committee.
“Yes, when the decision was made, there was no interference from the PMO. However, the instruction we received to evaluate the companies came from the PMO through the finance minister’s office,” she said.
Bersatu president and former prime minister Muhyiddin, 79, is charged with four counts of abusing his position to solicit RM225.3 million in bribes for the party from Bukhary Equity, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Mamfor Sdn Bhd, Azman Yusoff, and KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd.
He also faces three counts of money laundering involving RM200 million allegedly received from Bukhary Equity and deposited into Bersatu’s accounts at AmBank and CIMB Bank.
He is alleged to have committed the offences between March 1, 2020 and July 8, 2022.
The trial before Justice Noor Ruwena Nurdin continues on Aug 26.
