Witness confirms giving Ku Nan RM2 million as political contribution

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KUALA LUMPUR: The managing director of Aset Kayamas Sdn Bhd yesterday confirmed at the High Court here that he gave a RM2 million cheque to Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor as political contribution.

Tan Sri Chai Kin Kong, 60, said the former Federal Territories minister had mentioned to him that UMNO needed about RM5 million to RM6 million for its by-election funds.

Tengku Adnan is also UMNO’s former secretary-general.

“He (Tengku Adnan) asked me how much I could give. I did not promise any amount but said I would hand over the cheque to him when I had the money,” Chai said during cross-examination by deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim.

Testifying on the seventh day of Tengku Adnan’s trial, the 19th prosecution witness said the accused gave the name of a company, Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd, through which he could channel his contribution.

“At that point I did not know who owned Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd and I did not ask him why the donation had to be made to Tadmansori Holdings and not to UMNO’s account.

“I or my companies had never conducted any business with Tadmansori Holdings,” he testified in Cantonese, which was translated into Bahasa Malaysia by the court interpreter.

The witness whose businesses include logging, construction and hospitality said he decided to contribute only RM2 million as that was all he could afford.

Accordingly, Chai directed his accountant to prepare a RM2 million Hong Leong Bank cheque from Aset Kayamas to Tadmansori Holdings.

“After the cheque had been prepared by the accountant, I put down my signature and handed it to Tengku Adnan. As I recall, I handed the cheque personally to Tengku Adnan when we met at his office at DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall).

“I went to Tengku Adnan’s office in DBKL often, after starting the RUMAWIP (Federal Territories-Affordable Home Project) to discuss matters and problems related to the project,” he said.

Earlier, Chai said he got to know Tengku Adnan while carrying out his logging business in Jerantut, Pahang in the 1980s as the logging community was quite small then.

Since then, the witness said he had remained friends and maintained contact to this day with the accused.

“Sometime in September 2013, while he was holding the post of Federal Territories minister, Tengku Adnan asked me whether I could build affordable homes for the federal territory.

“Tengku Adnan planned for affordable homes costing below RM300,000 to be built and asked me to find suitable land for the purpose. I was agreeable to his proposal,” said Chai.

According to the charge, Tengku Adnan as a civil servant in his capacity as Federal Territories minister received RM2 million from Chai through a Hong Leong Islamic Bank cheque belonging to Aset Kayamas, which was deposited into the CIMB account of Tadmansori Holdings in which he has an interest.

He allegedly committed the offence at CIMB Bank Berhad, Pusat Bandar Damansara branch here, on June 14, 2016, under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which carries a jail term of up to two years or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

The trial before justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues today. — Bernama