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

On August 20, businessman Lian Tan Chuan testified in the High Court that his Bumiputera construction company Nepturis Sdn Bhd had given RM1 million to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in February 2022 as a "reward" for helping secure the RM141 million Klang Utara police headquarters project under the Jana Wibawa programme.

Lian claimed that the donation was due to Nepturis winning the Klang Utara police headquarters project. He explained that the RM1 million cheque was presented to Bersatu's president and then prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, who allegedly had helped the company secure the project. Lian further stated that Azman Yusoff, the president of the Malaysia Bumiputera Contractors' Association, had suggested that he donate RM1 million to Bersatu after Nepturis won the project.

When asked about Muhyiddin's involvement, Lian replied that he had been told by Azman and Adam Radlan that Muhyiddin had helped the company obtain the project. Nepturis had initially participated in a pre-qualification tender for the Klang Utara project on February 1, 2021, and won the contract on January 12, 2022. Later, on February 16, 2022, Nepturis issued a RM1 million cheque to Bersatu, which was deposited into the party's AmBank account on February 21, 2022.

During the trial, Lian confirmed that he had never met Muhyiddin personally and that Muhyiddin had never asked him for any donations.