Muhyiddin trial: Contractor says gave Bersatu RM1 as he was told ex-PM ‘helped’ win project

Businessman Lian Tan Chuan testified at the Muhyiddin Yassin trial that in 2022, his Bumiputera construction company, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, gave RM1 million to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) as a reward, claiming that then-Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had assisted Nepturis secure a RM141 million government project under the Jana Wibawa programme.

Lian testified that the RM1 million cheque was due to Nepturis winning the contract to build the Klang Utara district police headquarters. He stated that the amount was a "very big" donation compared to the smaller RM5,000 and RM10,000 contributions sought by Bersatu. Lian claimed to have been introduced to Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad, a Bersatu member and golf buddy of Muhyiddin, who allegedly helped Nepturis win the Jana Wibawa project.

Nepturis participated in a pre-qualification tender for the IPD Klang Utara project on February 1, 2021, and won the project on January 12, 2022. Nepturis then submitted a RM1 million cheque to Bersatu on February 16, 2022, which was deposited on February 21, 2022. Lian said he had agreed to Azman's request for the RM1 million donation after Nepturis won the project and was not aware that Muhyiddin did not ask for any donations.