Former PKR exco did not take bribe, court told

By Clara Chooi
IPOH, Oct 21 – A witness in the corruption trial involving Behrang assemblyman Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi today admitted that the former Perak state executive councillor never physically received the bribe or knew that it was to intended as inducement to expedite the approval of a multi-million ringgit housing project.

Businessman Mohamad Imran Abdullah, 34, disclosed this in open court today after Jamaluddin’s counsel Mohd Roni Abdul Rahman pointed out discrepancies in the witness’s report to the then Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA, now MACC) on what had transpired the day the bribe was supposedly accepted.


Mohamad Imran, who is the agent provocateur for the agency, had written in his report that during the meeting with Jamaluddin at the latter’s office in the State Secretariat on Aug 14, “the RM5,000, as was requested for, was given to Jamaluddin, through (PKR politician) Usaili Alias.”

Roni: Did you meet with Jamaluddin alone?

Mohamad Imran: No.

Roni: What were your specific orders from Firdaus (of the ACA) for your meeting with Jamaluddin?

Mohamad Imran: I was only asked to introduce myself and my company.

Earlier, it was established to the court through testimonies from Mohamad Imran that he had been acting under the orders of one Firdaus from the agency, and was supposed to set a trap to nab the late Perak Development Corporation technician Ruslan Sahat, who was another accused in the same trial prior to his death in August.

It was also heard that Mohamad Imran was instrumental in another high-profile ongoing corruption trial, involving former Perak Syariah High Court Judge Hassan Basri Markum.

Roni: On Aug 14, during the plan to meet with Jamaluddin, did the agency plan to nab him, too?

Mohamad Imran: No.

Roni: So your instructions from Firdaus was only to introduce yourself and your company and nothing else?

Mohamad Imran: There was one other thing. He (Firdaus) told me to make sure to establish with Jamaluddin whether he could help me obtain the housing project.

Mohamad Imran also told the court that Firdaus had given him the RM5,000 in cash, which he subsequently counted and noted the serial numbers, and had told him to hand over the money to Jamaluddin.

Roni: Did you get to meet with Jamaluddin?

Mohamad Imran: Yes.

Roni: In his office? (Jamaluddin’s former state executive council office)

Mohamad Imran: Yes.

Roni: How many people were in the room at that time?

Mohamad Imran: Me, Liza (ACA officer Norliza Musa, who was undercover, posing as Mohamad Imran’s girlfriend), Ruslan and Usaili.

Roni: How long was the meeting?

Mohamad Imran: About 15 minutes.

Roni: What were they all doing in the room during that time?

Mohamad Imran: They were discussing political issues.

Roni: During the discussion, you took the RM5,000 and put it on the table.

Mohamad Imran: I gave the money to Jamaluddin.

Roni: You put the money on Jamaluddin’s table, correct? On the table?

Mohamad Imran: Yes.

Roni: Did Jamaluddin hold the money?

Mohamad Imran: No.

Mohamad Imran also said that Jamaluddin had then asked for the money to be handed over to Usaili.

He later admitted that not only had Jamaluddin never once asked for cash, but also that prior to handing over the RM5,000, he (Mohamad Imran) had never asked for help in connection with the housing project.

Roni: Do you agree that at the time, you did not ask (Jamaluddin) for help with your project?

Mohamad Imran: I agree.

Roni: Before you put the money on Jamaluddin’s table, did he ask for money?

Mohamad Imran: No.

Roni: Also, you said the money was a “contribution” for the Permatang Pauh by-election?

Mohamad Imran: I only mentioned “contribution”.

Abdul Roni then pointed out that in the video recording on the meeting in Jamaluddin’s office, which was screened in court yesterday, Mohamad Imran had told the former administrator that he had brought a contribution for Permatang Pauh.

Mohamad Imran: No. I said “contribution” and it was Usaili who continued my sentence and said “for Permatang Pauh.”

Roni: Were you aware that Usaili was the elections director for Permatang Pauh?

Mohamad Imran: Yes.

Roni then retrieved the report that Mohamad Imran had written to the agency following the meeting in Jamaluddin’s office.

Roni: Since Jamaluddin never asked for money, the word “seperti yang dimintanya (as he asked)” in your report is inaccurate, do you agree?

Mohamad Imran: I agree.

Roni: This part, where you said that you passed the money to Jamaluddin. You only put the money on the table and did not pass it to him so your statement is wrong, do you agree?

Mohamad Imran: I agree.

Roni added that Mohamad Imran had also wrongly claimed that the money had been payment for help with the housing project since Jamaluddin had never been asked for such help.

Roni: Everything in your report was wrong, do you agree?

Mohamad Imran: I agree.

Jamaluddin is facing one corruption charge for receiving RM5,000 in bribes in his office that day, which was supposedly to aid Mohamad Imran in a housing development project in Seri Iskandar.

Jamaluddin is charged, alongside four others, including another former Perak state executive councillor Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu, 57, Usaili, 56, former Perak Tengah district councillor Zul Hassan, 45, and businessman Fairul Azrim Ismail, 31, on various counts of corruption over the same project.

The trial continues tomorrow before Sessions Judge Azhaniz the Azman Teh.

Both Jamaluddin and Osman quit PKR last February with DAP Jelapang lawmaker Hee Yit Foong and declared themselves independents in the 59-seat state assembly and supported Barisan Nasional, bringing down the Pakatan Rakyat government.