Zahid would help after receiving money, ex-UKSB director tells court

The Shah Alam High Court was told yesterday that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would assist Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) after receiving financial assistance from the company.

Former UKSB director Wan Quoris Shah Wan Abdul Ghani, 42, said he would not have given the money if Zahid had not given support and assistance.

At previous proceedings, Wan Quoris told the court that the financial assistance he gave to Zahid was aimed at strengthening UKSB’s position as a contractor for the home ministry.

During examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Wan Quoris, the 16th prosecution witness, said the contributions were received by Zahid between 2014 and 2018.

Wan Shaharuddin: How much money did you give Zahid every time you met him?

Wan Quoris: I do not remember much. I can only remember a few times, especially those occasions when I brought about S$300,000.

Before this, the 15th prosecution witness, former UKSB director Harry Lee Vui Khun, told the court that UKSB sent cash to Zahid each month in Singapore dollars from 2014 to 2018 in connection with the foreign visa system (VLN) contract.

Meanwhile, during cross-examination, Wan Quoris agreed with Zahid’s lawyer, Hamidi Mohd Nor, that UKSB could not give financial contributions as bribes or expensive gifts based on the company’s net profit and cash in bank from 2014 to 2018.

Hamidi said he was making the suggestion as the company’s financial statement in 2014 showed that it recorded a profit of about RM625,000 while cash in bank was RM1.5 million.

“In 2015, UKSB’s profit was about RM114,000 with cash of RM2.8 million, followed by RM4.9 million profit and cash of RM4.6 million in 2016, RM12.8 million profit and RM9 million cash in 2017, and RM351,000 profit and RM1.3 million cash in 2018,” he added.

Hamidi also mentioned the names of several individuals, including former youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin, which were listed in UKSB’s ledger.

The UKSB ledger, also known as “Buku 555”, tendered at the trial, contained records of payments made by UKSB to several individuals between 2014 and 2018.

The witness also agreed with the lawyer that there was a payment of more than RM15,000 made by UKSB for boarding a helicopter in 2015.

Hamidi: The payment was for Khairy and you to ride a helicopter?

Wan Quoris: Yes, during disasters.

Zahid, 69, faces 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million from UKSB for himself as home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of OSC service in China and the VLN system, as well as to maintain the contract agreement to supply the VLN integrated system to the same company by the home ministry.

On another seven counts, he was charged with obtaining for himself S$1,150,000, RM3 million, 15,000 euros and US$15,000 from the same company which had official links with his official duty.

He was charged with committing the offences at Seri Satria, Precinct 16, Putrajaya, and Country Heights Kajang between October 2014 and March 2018.

The trial before judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa continues today.