Witness insists Publika office existed in Hamzah Zainudin aide’s RM350,000 corruption trial

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 — A witness in the corruption trial involving a former political secretary to former home minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin today maintained that the office of Yayasan Tanah Aku in Publika, the alleged location for the handover of RM350,000 in commission to Sayed Amir Muzzakkir Al Sayed Mohamad, did exist.

Wan Azhar Mohamed Yusof, 51, managing director of Nexuscorpgroup Sdn Bhd (NSB), said this during cross-examination by counsel Datuk Yaacob Md Sam, appearing for Sayed Amir Muzzakkir.

Yaacob: I put it to you that the handover of RM100,000 on December 4, 2020 and RM250,000 on December 16, 2020 to Sayed Amir Muzzakkir did not take place, because the said office did not exist.

Wan Azhar: I disagree.

In his witness statement, Wan Azhar stated that Sayed Amir Muzzakkir asked him to pay RM350,000 in cash as part of a five per cent commission, after assisting NSB secure a Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) project tender.

“I handed over RM100,000 in a paper bag to Sayed around 4pm on December 4, 2020, and RM250,000, also in a paper bag, at 3.30pm on December 16, 2020. On both occasions, only Sayed and I were present,” he said in his witness statement.

The 17th prosecution witness said he had accompanied a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer to Publika to identify the said location, and found the unit in question to be closed, with no signage indicating that it was the office of Yayasan Tanah Aku.

Wan Azhar, however, disagreed with Yaacob’s suggestion that both units were vacant and unoccupied on the said dates.  

Yaacob: The owner of the premises gave evidence that, prior to the signing of the tenancy agreement, both units had been occupied by a law firm. That firm vacated the premises at the end of 2019. We therefore put it to you that from the end of 2019 until January 1, 2021, no office occupied either unit. Do you agree?

Wan Azhar: I went to the location only twice, on December 4 and 16, 2020. I therefore know only that it was in operation on those two dates. On other days, I cannot be certain whether it was in operation or vacant.

On May 23, 2024, Sayed Amir Muzzakkir, 44, was charged on two counts of receiving RM350,000 in gratification from Wan Azhar Mohamed Yusof as inducement for assisting NSB secure the RMPNet tender for PDRM valued at RM381,112,042.44.

The offences allegedly occurred at the office of Yayasan Tanah Aku, Solaris Dutamas, here, at 4pm on December 4, 2020 and at 3.30pm on December 16, 2020, respectively.

Sayed Amir Muzzakkir was also charged with soliciting RM350,000 in gratification from the same individual, for a similar purpose, at the Shah Alam office of NSB in early December 2020.

The charges were brought under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of not less than five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

The trial before Judge Rosli Ahmad resumes tomorrow. — Bernama