KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) played a direct role in the procurement process for the government's Jana Wibawa stimulus programme by submitting a list of proposed contractors and later providing information that prompted a re-evaluation of a company that had initially failed, the High Court was told today. Datuk Zamzuri Abdul Aziz, the Finance Ministry's deputy secretary-general (policy), gave this testimony as the 26th prosecution witness in former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's trial on charges of power abuse and money laundering. Zamzuri, who was secretary of the ministry's procurement division at the time, confirmed that a letter signed by Muhyiddin on November 13, 2020, contained a list of 54 proposed companies for 54 Jana Wibawa projects, including KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd. Based on this list, he agreed the PMO was involved prior to the evaluation of contractors for projects eventually awarded to KCJ Engineering, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, and Sutracom Sdn Bhd. The court has previously heard evidence that KCJ Engineering was awarded a RM62 million contract via direct negotiation on July 30, 2021, and later issued RM800,000 in cheques to Muhyiddin's Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in September 2022. Crucially, Zamzuri stated that KCJ Engineering had initially failed the Finance Ministry's evaluation, a result that typically disqualifies a company from government projects. He confirmed that the PMO subsequently provided additional information on the contractor on February 3, 2021, which led to a re-evaluation. Under cross-examination from Muhyiddin's lawyer, Chetan Jethwani, Zamzuri agreed that the PMO had provided supplementary information for multiple companies, not just KCJ, and that this followed a ministry request due to incomplete initial data. He further agreed that at no point did the PMO or Muhyiddin issue an order to select KCJ Engineering despite its failure, describing the re-evaluation as a normal process in a direct negotiation project where only one contractor is involved. Muhyiddin faces seven charges: four counts of allegedly using his position to obtain RM225.3 million in bribes for Bersatu from several companies, and three counts of money laundering. The trial before Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin continues tomorrow.
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PMO Submitted Contractor List for Jana Wibawa, Court Hears in Muhyiddin Trial
• A Finance Ministry official testified the Prime Minister's Office submitted a list of 54 proposed contractors for the Jana Wibawa programme in November 2020. • The court heard that contractor KCJ Engineering initially failed its ministry evaluation but was re-evaluated after the PMO provided additional information. • KCJ Engineering later received a RM62 million contract and issued RM800,000 in cheques to Muhyiddin's Bersatu party in 2022. • The witness confirmed the PMO was involved in the procurement process but stated there was no direct order to select the failed contractor.