Ku Nan found guilty in RM2 million corruption case

Former federal territories minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has been found guilty of accepting RM2 million from businessman Chai Kin Kong four years ago.

(FMT) – In his 20 minute verdict, High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said the defence had failed to create a doubt in the prosecution’s case.

The judge will now proceed to impose sentence after submissions on mitigating and aggravating factors from Tengku Adnan’s lawyer Tan Hock Chuan and deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim.

The court has broken for a short recess.

Tengku Adnan better known as Ku Nan received the money from Chai, who was Aset Kayamas’ director, despite knowing that the businessman’s companies had dealings with the federal territories ministry which was under the Putrajaya MP at the time.

The offence, under Section 165 of the Penal Code, carries up to two years’ imprisonment, or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

The judge said after maximum evaluation of the prosecution’s evidence against the defence, the accused was not entrusted to raise funds for two by-elections, in Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar, in 2016.

“Anyway, he was not the treasurer of Umno,” he said.

Furthermore, Zaini said two witnesses concocted their evidence to buffer the accused’s defence.

He said the RM2 million remained in the Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd account, in which Tengku Adnan had an interest and he did not withdraw the money to pay for the by-election.

“He used Tadmansori to enjoy the fruit of crime,” Zaini said, adding that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The judge said the accused had also claimed political conspiracy to bring down his political career.

“I say this, the AG is clothed with prosecution power to bring charges and the judiciary lay no role.

“We have taken our judicial decision and we decided the case based on evidence. We do not participate in any shenanigans.”

On Oct 14, 2019, Tengku Adnan was ordered to enter his defence as the court did not buy the former minister’s story that the RM2 million he received was a political donation for Umno.

Zaini said at the time that evidence had shown that the money ended up in a company owned and run by the accused.

The prosecution, through their opening statement, contended that the RM2 million given to Tengku Adnan by Chai was meant for by-election purposes, adding that the former had initially asked the businessman for a sum of between RM5 million and RM6 million.

In his defence, Tengku Adnan, better known as Ku Nan, said he did not personally benefit from the RM2 million from Chai, as the money was a “political donation”.

He added he was a successful businessman before he joined Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Cabinet in 2001 as a deputy minister.