I received over RM1 million in cash from Ku Nan for Sungai Besar by-election - Witness

Datuk Mohd Rafi Alli Hassan, 42, who is now an entrepreneur, said the money was later handed over to then Sungai Besar UMNO by-election director, Datuk Rizalman Mokhtar, whom he had a meeting with a couple of days earlier.

“After the meeting with Rizalman at PWTC (on the by-election budget and strategies), I personally went to take cash of RM1,013,200 from Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan at his house.

“The money for use in the by-election was a personal contribution from Tengku Adnan,” he said during the examination-in-chief by lawyer Datuk Tan Hock Chuan at the defence trial of Tengku Adnan’s RM2 million corruption case.

Mohd Rafi, while reading his witness statement said Tengku Adnan never relied on political funding from UMNO headquarters and, if the Federal Territories UMNO needed some political fund, the Putrajaya Member of Parliament had always been able to provide it, either using his own money or political donations.

The second defence witness said Tengku Adnan appointed Rizalman as the Sungai Besar UMNO by-election director about a week before the nomination day.

Mohd Rafi, who served as Tengku Adnan’s political secretary from January 2014 to May 8, 2018, said the initial budget proposed for the by-election was RM1.3 million, but after the meeting, it was slashed to RM1,013, 200 to be exact.

Meanwhile, Rizalman, 48, told the court that it had been the political practice of UMNO that all expenses receipts recorded for either by-election or general election would not be kept for a long period of time especially when there were no matters arising on the funds.

When asked by Tan whether the RM1,013,200 was completely spent for the Sungai Besar by-election, the third defence witness said yes.

In his witness statement, Rizalman said Tengku Adnan appointed him as the Sungai Besar UMNO by-election director to ensure victory for Barisan Nasional.

“I prepared a budget of RM1.3 million for the by-election and discussed it with Mohd Rafi, who later had a meeting with Datuk Seri (Tengku Adnan). At the meeting, I was told that Datuk Seri has reduced the budget to RM1,013,200.

“About two to three days later, I received the cash from Datuk Mohd Rafi at UMNO headquarters,” he said, adding he was in charge of renting premises, daily allowances and transportations, logistics, food and beverages, as well as campaigning materials for BN during the by-election.

On Oct 14 last year, the High Court ordered Tengku Adnan to enter his defence, after finding that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against him.

Tengku Adnan, 69, was charged in his capacity as a public servant then, namely as Federal Territories Minister, with having accepted for himself RM2 million from Chai via a Hong Leong Islamic Bank cheque belonging to Aset Kayamas Sdn Bhd which was later deposited into the CIMB Bank account of Tadmansori Holdings in which he had an interest when it was known that Aset Kayamas had a connection with his official duties.

He is alleged to have committed the offence at the Pusat Bandar Damansara branch of CIMB Bank Berhad here on June 14, 2016.

The former minister was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code, which carries a penalty of imprisonment of up to two years or a fine, or both if convicted.

Hearing before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues tomorrow.