Muhyiddin denies involvement in NIISe contract linked to son-in-law

Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has denied any involvement in the award of a lucrative contract allegedly linked to his son-in-law Adlan Berhan.

This comes after a report that the MACC was investigating the award on the grounds of possible abuse of power in the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe).

However, Muhyiddin called this an attempt by the current administration led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to tarnish his and his family’s dignity.

“I strongly deny this accusation. It is malicious slander deliberately designed to tarnish my dignity and that of my family.

“As the prime minister at the time, I was not involved at all in the process of awarding the NIISe contract to IRIS Corporation Berhad which was carried out through an open tender.

“The contract procurement process was made according to the government's normal procurement procedures under the purview of the Finance Ministry and related ministries,” he said in a statement tonight.

The Bersatu president added that none of his family members has links in IRIS Corporation Berhad, either as company directors or shareholders.

"How can I, who did not have any jurisdiction in awarding the contract, and my family, who does not have any interest in the company awarded the contract, be accused of abusing power?" he questioned.

Quoting a source, Free Malaysia Today reported yesterday that the MACC was investigating the NIISe award in light of new evidence related to the case surfacing.

"MACC is looking at how the contract was given and the company's links to those who were in power at the time.

"MACC may call in senior members of a previous administration as part of its probe," the source was quoted as saying.

‘Better system’

In 2020, Muhyiddin's administration announced the NIISe as a "better system" to address the weaknesses of the Malaysian Immigration System (MyIMMs) which was said to be unable to confirm the movements of foreigners.

NIISe was later launched by the Home Ministry in April 2021, led by former minister Hamzah Zainudin.

He said the existing immigration system, MyIMMs, needed to be replaced with a more sophisticated, integrated and holistic immigration system equipped with the latest technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and Big Data Analytics.

Hamzah said IRIS Information Technology Systems Sdn Bhd would develop NIISe together with the ministry and other independent bodies by 2024.

The Vibes reported that Adlan was a key player in the RM1.2 billion NIISe concession through links in one of the project's front-runners, security solutions provider S5 Holdings Inc.

However, S5 group managing director Syed Mohammad Hafiz Jamalullail denied in 2021 that none of his political connections, including Adlan, was involved in the company.

On Monday, Anwar said he took a "strong position" against those who opposed the appointment of his daughter Nurul Izzah, especially certain quarters who awarded contracts to their sons or sons-in-law when in power.

Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi later hinted that it was possibly Muhyiddin's son-in-law that Anwar was referring to.

Muhyiddin, however, claimed tonight that the accusation of his involvement in the NIISe was made as an attempt to cover up the "weakness" of the prime minister in appointing his child to manage government contracts.

"The practice of nepotism cannot be covered by throwing baseless accusations at others," he said.

The MACC is also investigating Bersatu, which Muhyiddin leads, under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act.

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