Were key individuals aware of UKSB ledger contents?


ON 5 June 2018, Tommy Thomas was appointed as Attorney General whereas Latheefa Koya was appointed as Mohamad Shukri Abdull’s successor as Chief Commissioner of the MACC on a two-year contract beginning 4 June 2019.

Subsequently, on 26 June 2019 and 27 June 2019, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was charged in the Sessions Court with 40 counts of having accepted bribes totalling SGD4.24 million and RM42.76 million from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) on separate occassions.

UKSB and their representatives, Harry Lee, Wan Quoris and David Tan were called as witnesses by the prosecution during the ongoing hearing in the trial against Zahid Hamidi.

In the ongoing testimony, David Tan from UKSB revealed that he kept a ledger detailing payments made by him to several individuals in addition to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Following this development, the MACC announced that they have opened investigation papers into those named individuals arising from the revelation made by David Tan in his testimony to the High Court.

It is presumed that following the investigations into the relationship between UKSB and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, MACC would have seized and examined all the available records of UKSB including said ledger and the laptop and USB drive of David Tan.

What was revealed by David Tan in his current testimony should not come as a surprise or revelation to both MACC and the AG Chambers as it was to the public.

It is presumed that the Chief Commissioner of MACC at that point in time, Mohamad Shukri Abdull would have reviewed the entire case thoroughly and then made his recommendations to the AG Chambers for a charge or charges, based on the available evidence, to be proffered against Zahid.

Before the AG decides to initiate criminal proceedings in Court, it is presumed he will meet the investigating officer from MACC to discuss the case in order to conduct his prosecution in Court. 

For this case where it involved an ex-Deputy Prime Minister, it is presumed the Chief Commissioner was also briefed and involved in the discussion with the AG and his assistants.

If the AG is of the view that the evidence available is insufficient for a charge to be brought, he will instruct for more investigations to be carried out.

Thus, on 26 and 27 June 2019, it is presumed that the AG was sufficiently satisfied that there was enough evidence to charge Zahid.

On those 2 dates, Latheefa Koya was the Chief Commissioner of MACC while Tommy Thomas was the Attorney General.

Again, it is presumed both were made aware of the ledger as there is documented proof of payments made by the payee while additional evidence from Harry Lee and Wan Quoris were merely oral confirmation during their questioning in Court.

Unless officers from MACC deliberately concealed the details from the ledger when it was presented to the Chief Commissioner then, Mohamad Shukri Abdull for concurrence, it is impossible for him and his successor, Latheefa and the AG not to be aware of those payments made by David Tan to those named persons revealed in his testimony.

Why didn’t all 3 of them expand the scope of the investigations into those payments at that point?
Or didn’t it occur to them that unlike the payments made to Zahid, those payments were made in the normal course of business of UKSB by David Tan?

These revelations do not paint a favourable picture of them as the charges against Zahid commenced when both of them were still contracted and employed in those positions.

A clarification from all three is much needed. – June 21, 2022.

FLK reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.


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