A senior executive of German forwarding company DB Schenker Logistics has denied giving a monthly bribe to deceased Customs officer Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed.

Wan Zainalabidin Wan Zaki, 44, told the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today that he did not pay any bribe when questioned by senior federal counsel Kamal Azira Hassan, who is representing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

"No, I did not give any bribe to Ahmad," the senior executive stressed.

Yesterday, Wan Zainalabidin, who is the third witness called by Ahmad's widow Maziah Manap, had said that Ahmad, who was a senior assistant director Awith the Customs Department, had given his (Wan Zainalabidin's) name and that of his firm, after he was repeatedly questioned by MACC officers about an alleged monthly bribe of RM50.

Ahmad was detained overnight by MACC at its Jalan Cochrane office in Kuala Lumpur between April 1 and 2, and was questioned a second time on April 4, 2011, and during this intensive interrogation the MACC officers recorded the senior assistant director as naming Wan Zainalabidin and Schenker Logistics.

Wan Zainalabidin was later re-examined by Maziah's lead counsel, Razlan Hadri Zulkifli, where the senior executive reiterated that he did not bribe Ahmad.

"There is no reason to do so as I deal with exports and Ahmad also dealt with the export section," Wan Zainalabidin said.

Duties are normally imposed on items imported into the country and not for exports.

The witness said none of the documents seized by the MACC implicated him or DB Schenker.

Answering further from questions posed by Razlan, Wan Zainalabidin ( right ) said Ahmad called him on the night of April 4, after being released from the MACC, and apologised for implicating him and his firm.

“He told me that he was under duress from the repeated questioning by the MACC and at that time he only remembered me and the firm I worked with,” Wan Zainalabidin said, adding that Ahmad also told him to deny the bribe payment when questioned by the MACC as Ahmad wanted to correct the statement that he had given.

Ahmad and Zainal were close

Wan Zainalabidin told the court yesterday that he and Ahmad got close as he is “a bilal jenazah” (person who manages and cleans dead bodies for final rites) at the Kampung Raja Uda Mosque, and the senior Customs officer also wanted to learn how to perform this rite.

It was reported that Ahmad, who was treasurer of the Customs Department's tennis club, also led congregational prayers and was also a bilal at the Pulau Indah Mosque when he and his family stayed there.  

Ahmad went to the MACC office on Jalan Cochrane on April 6, 2011, to retract the second cautioned statement that he made to MACC implicating Wan Zainalabidin and Schenker Logistics.

Yesterday, Justice Kamaluddin Md Said cautioned Kamal Azira from asking too many questions on the matter as it would be akin to opening up the inquest.

Kamal Azira had reiterated the suggestion made by former MACC lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah that Ahmad could have jumped from the MACC office on Jalan Cochrane on April 6 so as to meet Wan Zainalabidin, who was also brought in for questioning later that day.

But coroner Aizatul Akmal Maharani had rejected such a notion by Shafee in his inquest finding.

Razlan told the court that the plaintiff (Maziah, left ) had wanted to call a police witness but decided not to do so as the MACC premises where Ahmad had died did not have working CCTV equipment on that day.

Following this, Razlan informed the court that the plaintiff has closed its case subject on recalling the senior assistant director of the Perak Customs office, Azman Jusoh.

Kamal Azira told Justice Kamaluddin that the MACC and the government will call in nine witnesses, after which the judge fixed Jan 13, 14 and 15 for the hearing to continue.

Lawyer Rosli Dahlan is holding a watching brief for Schenker Logistics.

Maziah and her eldest son Shahril had filed an RM8 million suit against seven MACC officers, the MACC and the government, following Ahmad's death in the MACC premises.

Ahmad's death mirrors what happened to political aide Teoh Beng Hock, who died two years earlier outside the Selangor MACC headquarters in Shah Alam.

Maziah testified on the first day that till today, the MACC had not apologised to her family over the death of her husband.

She also told the court that the family does not own any big house and only had three cars, a second hand Honda CRV, a Kancil and a Proton Persona.