‘KU NAN GAVE RM1M FOR POLLS’
Expense record of election usually disposed of a month later, says Umno division chief
AWITNESS in the corruption trial of Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor testified that the expense record of elections are disposed of a month after the election, given that no issues are raised about the funds.
Bandar Tun Razak Umno chief Datuk Rizalman Mokhtar said this at the High Court yesterday when he was questioned about the original copy of the list of expenses for the 2016 by-election in Sungai Besar .
“I do not have the original copy with me. I re-did this one (shown at court),” he said when crossexamined by deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim.
Rizalman, who was appointed the Sungai Besar Umno by-election machinery director at that time, added that he would usually keep a record of the expenses for about a month before discarding it.
He said it was a practice of his to keep notes of the expenses in a book, but the notes would be disposed of after a month as it had become unnecessary.
Asked on the actual expenses for the Sungai Besar by-election, Rizalman, who is the third defence witness, said he could not confirm it, but the money received from Tengku Adnan for the election was RM1,013,200.
During re-examination by Tengku Adnan’s counsel Datuk Tan Hock Chuan, Rizalman testified that in political practice, all expenses recorded for either a byelection or general election would not be kept for a long time, especially when there were no matters arising about the funds.
Tan: Was the RM1,013,200 from Tengku Adnan completely used for the by-election?
Rizalman: As far as I remember, it was all spent on the by-election. Earlier, Datuk Mohd Rafi Alli Hassan, who is Tengku Adnan’s former political secretary, testified that the funds for the byelection were personal contributions from the former Federal Territories minister.
He said the Umno headquarters did not provide any contribution to Federal Territories Umno for the by-election.
The second prosecution witness said he and Rizalman initially proposed RM1,300,000 for the workforce, banners, T-shirts, flags and other activities in the by-election, but Tengku Adnan gave RM1,013,200.
“I took the RM1,013,200 in cash from Tengku Adnan’s home and handed the money to Rizalman, who was the by-election machinery director, at the Umno office at PWTC,” he said.
Trial resumes before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan.
Tengku Adnan, 69, is facing a charge of accepting RM2 million from Aset Kayamas managing director Tan Sri Chai Kin Kong via a cheque belonging to the company, which was deposited into a bank account belonging to Tadmansori Holdings, a company owned by the accused.
He faces up to two years in jail or a fine or both, if found guilty.