THE Shah Alam High Court was today told that the minutes of former prime minister Najib Razak to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd’s (UKSB) contract as the sole operator of the foreign visa system to Malaysia in China to be extended was not an order.

UKSB director Fadzil Ahmad said even though Najib was the prime minister and head of the cabinet then, the power to approve the contract was under the Home Ministry.

“For me, the source and jurisdiction of authority (to extend contract) of all my applications began only with the ministry, it did not start at the PM’s office, so to me, the PM can merely assist to expedite, not to give an order,” he said when re-examined by deputy public prosecutor Zander Lim Wai Keong at Zahid’s trial on 40 charges of corruption.

When asked by Lim on who would approve the contract extension, Fadzil said the final decision lies with the home minister, then Zahid.

Earlier, two prosecution witnesses – former ministry deputy secretary-general (Policy and Control) Suriani Ahmad and former principal assistant secretary at the ministry’s Immigration Affairs Division Azman Azra Abdul Rahman @ Md Salleh told the court that Najib had asked Zahid to extend UKSB’s contract as the sole operator of the visa system to Malaysia in China.

The minutes by Najib to Zahid were written on three letters sent by UKSB to the former prime minister between May 23, 2013 and October 27, 2015 to obtain support after finding competition from other companies interested in handling the one-stop-centre in China and several other countries.

Meanwhile, during a re-examination by counsel Hamidi Mohd Nor, the 14th witness agreed the earlier extension of the contract was something natural.

Hamidi: There was no need for UKSB to expedite or receive its extension as you can extend not less than six months before its expiry.  Secondly, it is natural to extend. It is not something new that needed incentive or motivation. There is nothing peculiar about it. It’s natural the contract needs to be extended, right?

Fadzil: It depends on why it needs to be extended. I felt it was not automatically extended.

The witness agreed with the lawyer’s suggestion that based on Clause 2.2.1, the deal to supply the integrated system was signed before the company can apply for a contract extension not less than six months before the agreement expires.

Fadzil also agreed with the lawyer that it was not an offence if the extension contract was made two or three years earlier before it expires.

Earlier, Alwi Ibrahim, who was formerly ministry secretary-general, told the court he was not satisfied with Zahid’s decision to extend UKSB’s contract to implement the system too soon when the expiry date was still far away.

Zahid, 69, is facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42.9 million) from UKSB for himself as home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of OSC service in China and the system, as well as to maintain the contract agreement to supply the integrated system to the same company by the ministry.

On another seven counts, he was charged with obtaining for himself S$1,150,000, RM3 million, €15,000 (RM68,995) and US$15,000 (RM65,854.50) from the same company, which has links to his official duty.

He was charged with committing all the offences at Seri Satria, Presint 16, Putrajaya and Country Heights Kajang between October 2014 and March 2018.

The trial before judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa continues tomorrow. – Bernama, May 17, 2022.