KUALA LUMPUR: Muhammad Zahid Md Arip told the High Court today that Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad gave him between RM10,000 and RM50,000 after he collected a total of RM3 million cash on behalf of the latter.
Muhammad Zahid, formerly a special officer, who was testifying in Isa’s criminal breach of trust and corruption trial involving the purchase of the Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites, said the RM3 million was from property developer Gegasan Abadi Properties Sdn Bhd’s former director Ikhwan Zaidel.
He told the court that after he passed the money from Ikhwan to Isa, his former boss, Isa had called him and invited him to his office two or three times.
“”Nah! Ambik sikit (Here! Take some)”, Isa said to me when I came to his office.
“He gave me about RM10,000 to RM20,000 and sometimes RM50,000 although I did not ask for anything,” the witness said.
Muhammad Zahid said he collected the cash from Ikhwan on behalf of the former Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) chairman on nine occasions between July 2014 and December 2015. However, he said he never touched or counted the money which was placed in either a paper bag or a black bag.
He said he did not know the amount but knew that Ikhwan had agreed to give RM3 million to Isa.
He told the court that he was introduced to Ikhwan through a friend, Azizi Abd Wahab in 2013, and that their meeting was about Ikhwan’s proposal to sell the hotel in Kuching, Sarawak to Felda Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd (FICSB), a Felda subsidiary.
He said that in March 2014, FICSB chief executive officer Mohd Zaid Abdul Jalil decided not to proceed with the purchase of the hotel.
“Ikhwan informed me about Zaid’s letter saying that FICSB’s board of directors did not want to proceed with the hotel purchase. He then asked me to arrange a meeting for him (Ikhwan) to meet Isa. However, I did not attend that meeting.
“In the same month, Isa received a call while I was accompanying him in Parliament. Isa told me that PM had asked for Felda to reconsider its decision,” he said.
He said he understood that "PM" referred to then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The witness also said Isa had instructed him to call Ikhwan and send "salam" (greetings).
“I understood that it was not an ordinary ‘salam’ and that Isa had actually wanted me to ask Ikhwan for political funds,” he said.
Meanwhile, during cross-examination by Isa’s counsel Datuk Salehuddin Saidin, the witness said he did not know whether the money Isa gave him came from the alleged kickbacks he took from Ikhwan on behalf of Isa.
Salehuddin: Do you know where the money came from?
Zahid: I don't.
Salehuddin: So, you accepted the money without knowing the source?
Zahid: Tan Sri Isa gave it to me, I took it.
Salehuddin: Did the money come from the money you gave to Isa (from Ikhwan)?
Zahid: I disagree.
Earlier, the lawyer also contended that the witness was not telling the truth in his testimony since he could not prove that there was basis that Isa had asked for the kickbacks.
“Looking at your testimony, it is very clear that you are not telling the truth. You are trying to escape from the charge.
“This (salam) is only based on your own understanding and assumption. Salam here does not mean anything. Is it wrong to kirim salam (give salam) as Muslims?” he said.
Salehuddin also alleged that the witness had implicated his client only after being pressured by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
The witness disagreed with the contentions.
Trial continues tomorrow before judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.
The court will also decide tomorrow whether to grant deputy public prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz’s application to add details, specifically the dates to Isa’s corruption charges.
On Dec 14, 2018, Isa, 71, pleaded not guilty to one count of CBT by approving the purchase of Merdeka Palace without approval from Felda board of directors on April 29, 2014.
The former Umno vice-president also faces nine counts of receiving graft totalling more than RM3 million from Gegasan Abadi director Ikhwan between July 2014 and December 2015.