Jana Wibawa: PMO recommended 5 companies - witness

The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court was told today that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had recommended five companies, including Nepturis Sdn Bhd, to be evaluated for projects under Jana Wibawa.

Jana Ekonomi Empowerment of Bumiputera Contractors (Jana Wibawa) was introduced during Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration to accelerate projects and improve the economy during the pandemic.

Former deputy secretary of the government (Procurement Division) at the Finance Ministry, Rosni Mohd Yusoff, 52, said the five companies listed by the PMO were to be evaluated by the Finance Ministry’s Contractor Evaluation Committee for the Central Spine Road: Sertik to East Coast Expressway Interchange Project.

“The Contractor Evaluation Committee started the evaluation of these companies based on instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office, which, if we look at the PMO, has listed five companies as stated in the letter dated March 9, 2021.

“It is the PMO that recommends and certifies the companies involved for this project,” she said during cross-examination by deputy public prosecutor Ifa Sirrhu Samsudin at the trial of former Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan, who is facing 18 charges of money laundering and two charges of corruption in relation to the Jana Wibawa project.

To Ifa Sirrhu’s question of whether the witness stated that the PMO was involved from the beginning by naming the company for the project, Rosni, who is currently the statutory body’s strategy division secretary, replied: Yes.

Earlier, lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad, representing Wan Saiful, objected to the prosecution’s question as it should have been asked during the main examination and not during the re-examination.

However, Ifa Sirrhu said the question was related to cross-examination by lawyers and Rosni told the court that she needed to give a detailed explanation of the PMO’s involvement at that time.

“If I don’t explain, I don’t see how close (the PMO’s involvement) is. I have to explain the process, Your Honour,” said the third prosecution witness.

Judge Rosli Ahmad then said the witness could explain the matter, but there was no need to explain at length.

Wan Saiful’s charges

Wan Saiful, 49, was charged with soliciting bribes from Lian Tan Chuan as an inducement to help Nepturis Sdn Bhd secure the Central Spine Road: Sertik to East Coast Expressway Interchange project from the Malaysian government on a pre-qualification basis worth RM232 million.

He was also charged with receiving RM6,962,694.54 in cash through the CIMB Bank Berhad account belonging to his company WSA Advisory Group Sdn Bhd, from the Maybank Islamic Berhad account belonging to Nepturis Sdn Bhd as a reward for helping the company obtain SST for the project.

The two offences were allegedly committed at the Royal Lake Club, Taman Tasik Perdana, Kuala Lumpur in April 2022 and at CIMB Bank Berhad Bukit Tunku Branch between July 8 and Sept 30, 2022.

Wan Saiful also faces 18 charges of money laundering involving RM5.59 million, by transferring and using the proceeds of the illegal activities, among others, to pay for the purchase of a Ford Ranger at the CIMB Bank Berhad Bukit Tunku branch in Kuala Lumpur, between Aug 12 and Nov 13, 2022.

The trial continues next Jan 16.

- Bernama

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