Foreign visa trial: Ultra Kirana ex-staff says sent RM3m in suitcase to Zahid at DPM’s official residence
(MMO) – A former Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) employee testified today he once delivered RM3 million in cash inside a luggage to Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the deputy prime minister’s official residence in Putrajaya, the High Court heard today.
Former UKSB administrative manager David Tan Siong Sun, who is also the prosecution’s 17th witness, disclosed this during examination-in-chief for for Ahmad Zahid’s foreign visa system (VLN) corruption trial.
Recalling two separate occasions when he personally delivered cash payments to Ahmad Zahid, Tan told the court he had gone to Sri Satria to make the deliveries accompanied by former UKSB directors Wan Quoris Shah Wan Abdul Ghani and Harry Lee Vui Khiun.
“The second time I brought a luggage, which I left in the living room before I waited outside,” Tan explained.
He also said Ahmad Zahid never declined or returned the money at any point in time after the two deliveries he made.
As for the cash used to pay Ahmad Zahid, Tan explained that the funds were derived from UKSB’s business partners in Hong Kong who would channel them into Malaysia through a bank account provided by money-changers here.
“The monies that we used for the monthly and the one-time payments were not taken from UKSB’s account.
“UKSB did not have enough funds to cover the payments, so because of that, I had to ask our business partners in Hong Kong to help us out.
“The funds from Hong Kong would be channelled into Malaysia through money-changers in Kuala Lumpur, and then passed on to me in cash,” he said.
Upon receiving the cash, Tan said he would keep it in the company’s safe deposit box before withdrawals for the monthly cash payments to Ahmad Zahid.
On the cash payments made to Ahmad Zahid, Tan said it was UKSB’s belief that by giving him money, Ahmad Zahid would treat UKSB more favourably since the company knew there were several other competitors attempting to take over the VLN contracts.
Accordingly, Tan disclosed that the first delivery of S$200,000 was made in October 2014 and continued up to February 2015 before the amount was increased to S$300,000 monthly from May 2015 onwards to S$520,000 monthly in July 2017 up until August 2018.
“This figure (S$520,000) was based on Wan Quoris Shah’s estimation of the funds required for each Umno Divisions.
“If I’m not mistaken, he said that there are about 190 Umno divisions around the country. He estimated about RM10,000 for each division totalling RM1.9 million per month. I then calculated the current conversion rate for Singapore Dollar, which came up to approximately S$520,000,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid is facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from UKSB as an inducement for himself in his capacity as a civil servant and the then home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the OSCs in China and the VLN system as well as to maintain the agreement to supply VLN integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the Home Ministry.
For another seven counts, Ahmad Zahid was charged as home minister to have obtained for himself S$1.15 million, RM3 million, €15,000 and US$15,000 in cash from the same company in connection with his official work.
He is charged with committing all the offences at Sri Satria, Presint 16, Putrajaya, and Country Heights, Kajang, between October 2014 and March 2018.
