HOUSING and Local Government Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican is the latest politician to deny receiving any money from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB), the company that gave kickbacks to former home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“I have never received any political funding from UKSB. In fact, I do not know have never known anything about UKSB until now,” media reports quoted Reezal as saying in Kepala Batas today.

“I am ready to give my statement so that an investigation can be done. How can I have gotten money from UKSB if I do not even know them?” he added.

Reezal was commenting on allegations he had received between RM200,000 and RM300,000 from UKSB.

A witness had testified to this in Umno president Zahid’s ongoing corruption trial in the Shah Alam High Court, over bribes received from UKSB to maintain the company’s contract to handle foreign visas while he was home minister.

Witnesses from UKSB told the court that they had contributed money to Reezal and several other Umno politicians before the 2018 elections, and after the polls to then home minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

On Reezal, the witness confirmed a forensic report by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) that between RM200,000 and RM300,000 were given.

Other politicians named in court as UKSB fund recipients were Khairy Jamaluddin, Hishammuddin Hussein, Mohd Shafie Apdal and Anifah Aman.

Muhyiddin and Khairy have both issued denials.

Zahid himself was said to have received amounts starting at S$200,000 (RM634,926) per month starting from 2014, which were increased to S$520,000 per month some time in 2017.

The Bagan Datuk MP is charged with 33 counts of receiving S$13.46 million from Ultra Kirana as inducement to extend the company’s contract as the operator of a one-stop centre in China and the foreign visa system, as well as to maintain the agreement to supply a foreign visa integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the Home Ministry.

He is also facing another seven charges of accepting S$1.15 million, RM3 million, €15,000 (RM69,569) and US$15,000 (RM65,956.50) in cash from the same company, which he knew had connections with his function as then home minister.

MACC recently said following the evidence in court, it would now begin probing those named as recipients of UKSB funds. – June 21, 2022.