Zahid met company rep at his house before deciding on contract renewal, court told

The High Court was today told that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi met with a representative of Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) at his house in Seri Satria, Putrajaya before deciding to extend the company’s contract for the foreign visa system (VLN) for three more years.

Former home ministry immigration affairs division secretary Shahril Ismail said the former deputy prime minister also rejected the proposal of his division to take the matter to the Public-Private Partnership Unit (Ukas).

“On June 15, 2017, I received a call from Wan Quoris Shah Wan Abdul Ghani (director of UKSB) and he said that Zahid had agreed to extend the contract of UKSB for three years and asked me to bring the part of the minutes to Zahid’s house at Seri Satria in Putrajaya for the minister’s approval.

“Upon my arrival at Zahid’s house, Wan Quoris Shah was waiting for me and he told me to wait for the green light first following a meeting of the company’s representative with Zahid.

“Later, he invited me to enter and meet Zahid. In the meeting with Zahid, I handed over the part of the minutes for his decision and signature. I also informed him of my division’s proposal,” he said, adding that the meeting was held during the fasting month several days before Hari Raya.

He said this when reading out his witness statement in an examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Zander Lim Wai Keong.

He was also asked in a supplementary question by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin whether it was usual for a private company or stakeholder to discuss the receipt of a government contract in a minister’s house.

Shahril: It was usual as I had brought documents to a minister’s house before, but with a stakeholder, I think this was my first time.

The 10th prosecution witness also said his meeting with the former home minister and Wan Quoris Shah in the accused’s house was held when his division informed the UKSB director that the extension of the VLN contract for six years had to be processed by Ukas and approved by the Cabinet.

“Wan Quoris Shah later informed him that he would discuss the matter with Zahid,” he said, adding that UKSB had earlier received the contract to supply the VLN system in China for six years from Nov 1, 2013 to Oct 31, 2019.

According to the service contract extension, any company that wished to extend its contract for more than seven years would have to get the approval of the Cabinet through Ukas.

Replying to a question by deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran on the need to bring the part of the minutes to Zahid’s house that day, Syahril said it was to obtain a decision in black and white written by the Umno president.

“Earlier, we only received a verbal order from Wan Quoris Shah that the company had discussed with the minister (Zahid),” he said, adding that the minister had not agreed with the decision of his division.

“So to confirm the decision of the minister, I met the minister directly to obtain the decision in black and white. We could not process the verbal decision as informed by (Wan Quoris Shah) so we needed a written decision on an official government document for us to process. We did not consider the verbal decision as valid,” he said.

Rozela: To accept the order from Wan Quoris Shah?

Sharil: Yes.

Rozela: Company representative giving order to government officer?

Sharil: It was more than just for information.

Zahid, 69, faces 33 charges of accepting a bribe of S$13.56 million from UKSB for himself as home minister to extend the company’s contract as the operator of the OSC services in China and VLN systems as well as to maintain a contract agreement to supply VLN integrated systems to the same company by the home ministry.

On seven other charges, Zahid is alleged to have obtained for himself S$1,150,000, RM3 million, 15,000 euros and US$15,000 in cash from UKSB that had links with his official duties.

The trial before judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa continues on April 1.