KUALA LUMPUR: Former Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) enforcement director Ab Salim Mansor told the High Court here yesterday that former federal territories minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor had approved the sale of two lots of land measuring 4.048 acres in Bandar Tun Razak to Aset Kayamas Sdn Bhd.
Ab Salim, 61, who was then DBKL’s economic planning and development coordination (JPEPP) director, confirmed that it was with Tengku Adnan’s approval that DBKL agreed to offer the sale of the land to the company.
“I refer to JPEPP DBKL’s letter dated June 3, 2015 to the Secretary-General, Federal Territories Ministry for evaluation of land at Lot 53427 and Lot 53653 in Bandar Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.
“With reference to the letter, I confirm that DBKL, with the approval of the federal territories minister on May 27, 2015, agreed to offer the two land lots covering 16,386 sq metres (4.048 acres) to the said company,” he said when reading out his witness statement on the third day of Tengku Adnan’s RM2 million graft trial.
Questioned by deputy public prosecutor Haderiah Siri during examination-in-chief on who was the federal territories minister he was referring to, Ab Salim, who is the ninth prosecution witness, said it was Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
Ab Salim, who is now a pensioner, also told the court that Aset Kayamas intended to build an affordable housing project, comprising a 41-storey apartment block with 421 units, and an eight-storey car park under the first phase.
“Under the second phase, the company planned to build a 41-storey apartment block with 632 units, an eight-storey car park and other facilities, while in the third phase, Aset Kayamas planned to build a training centre for DBKL,” he said.
Ab Salim said the JPEPP DBKL letter was prepared by one Razalia Khalid, the officer in charge of handling the application to sell the land to Aset Kayamas and that he, who was then the director, signed the letter.
Meanwhile, the operations manager at the Jalan Kenanga Hong Leong Bank Berhad, Yu Chong Shin, 38, confirmed that RM2 million was withdrawn from an account belonging to Aset Kayamas through a cheque on June 14, 2016.
Yu, who was previously the bank’s operations manager at the Jalan Imbi branch, said Aset Kayamas’s account at the bank was still active.
The eighth witness also confirmed the details on Aset Kayamas which were furnished by the company when it opened an account with Hong Leong Islamic Bank, dated Jan 18, 2011.
Tengku Adnan was charged in his capacity as a public servant, namely federal territories minister, to have accepted for himself RM2 million from businessman Tan Sri Chai Kin Kong via a Hong Leong Islamic Bank cheque belonging to Aset Kayamas which was deposited into the CIMB Bank account of Tadmansori Holding Sdn Bhd in which he had an interest, when it was known that Aset Kayamas had connection with his official duties.
The offence was allegedly committed at CIMB Bank Berhad, Pusat Bandar Damansara Branch here on June 14, 2016.
The charge was framed under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of up to two years or fine or both, on conviction.
The hearing was before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan. — Bernama