Arahan PMO nilai syarikat diterima menerusi MoF, mahkamah diberitahu

Kementerian Kewangan's officials have informed the High Court that the Ministry's Department only assesses listed companies in a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) letter for projects under the Jana Wibawa program. This was detailed by Deputy Chief Secretary (Foundations) for the Ministry of Finance, Zamzuri Abdul Aziz, 55, during the former prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin's trial for seven charges related to the Jana Wibawa program and three charges of misappropriation of funds totaling RM200 million.

The evaluation process, according to Zamzuri, who was the chief secretary of the Ministry of Finance when the assessment took place in 2020 and 2021, only applied to companies recommended by the PMO. The PMO then recommended Nepturis in a letter dated February 3, 2021, and Sutracom in another letter dated March 17, 2021. As a result, KCJ Engineering was awarded a RM62 million road construction project connecting Felda Bukit Jalor to Gemas, Negeri Sembilan, while Nepturis received a RM141 million project to build North Klang Valley IPD, and Sutracom obtained a RM605 million project to upgrade Jalan Lingkaran Pulau Indah Phase 3.

Zamzuri emphasized that any contractor's application letter without a PMO recommendation would have no value and would not be processed for assessment. Even if contractor letters from companies are presented continuously to the Ministry of Finance, the relevant officer would not conduct any assessment if there is no PMO recommendation.

Such letters have no value for consideration and would not be extended to the Department of Works (JKT). Under the relevant laws and regulations, the prime minister does not have the legal authority to direct any specific project to be awarded to a particular company continuously. During the main examination by Deputy Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Zamzuri explained that the PMO interfered in the selection of companies for a particular project.

When asked about the signature on the letter, Zamzuri stated that Muhyiddin Yassin signed it. The former prime minister, 79, faced seven charges related to the Jana Wibawa program, which he introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic to help Bumiputera contractors. The charges included misappropriation of RM225.3 million from Bukhary Equity, Nepturis, Mamfor, Azman Yusoff, and KCJ Engineering. The trial continued before Judge Noor Ruwena Nurdin the following day.