By Clara Chooi
IPOH, Nov 12 - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) agent provocateur in the graft trial involving two former PKR state executive councillors today made another surprising admission — that he had not known the purpose of a RM100,000 bribe he had supposedly paid.
Mohamad Imran Abdullah said in the trial today that the money was only asked for after two of the accused, PKR politician Usaili Alias and former PKR state executive councillor Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu, had completed their conversation about the Permatang Pauh by-election last year.
Defence counsel Surjan Singh, in trying to establish that the money was actually meant to be a political donation to PKR to help in the by-election, wrangled the admission out of Mohamad Imran during cross-examination today.
Mohamad Imran testified that it had been Usaili who had solicited for the RM100,000 at the Aquarius coffeehouse in Summit Hotel, Bukit Mertajam, on Aug 16, after he had already allegedly paid a bribe of RM5,000 to him.
During the time of the incident, Mohd Osman had also been present, along with MACC officer Norliza Musa who was posing as Mohamad Imran’s girlfriend throughout the case.
Surjan Singh: What happened during the exchange of money?
Mohamad Imran: I took the cash and I indicated that I wanted to give it to Mohd Osman but he gestured for me to pass it on to Usaili instead.
Surjan Singh: Why did he ask you to give it to Usaili? Mohamad Imran: That, I do not know.
Surjan Singh: Did he (Mohd Osman) mention that he wanted you to give the money to Usaili because he (Usaili) is the election director for the Permatang Pauh by-election?
Mohamad Imran: No, he never said it.
Surjan Singh: Who asked you for the RM100,000 then?
Mohamad Imran: Usaili.
Surjan Singh: What did he ask?
Mohamad Imran: After we discussed my project (the RM180mil housing development project which the accused were arrested for receiving bribes over), Usaili asked for help again and I asked him, “What else can I help with?” The Usaili said he needed about RM20,000 to RM30,000 or RM20,000 to RM50,000, I cannot recall. I told him then that the project is a big one so that was when he asked for “around RM100,000.”
Surjan Singh: Do you agree that according to what you said in court earlier, before the money (RM5,000) was handed over, only you had spoken about your project?
Mohamad Imran: Yes, true.
Surjan Singh: So actually, only you spoke about your project and then the discussion later shifted to the Permatang Pauh by-election, correct?
Mohamad Imran: Yes correct.
Surjan Singh: Now you said that Usaili asked for “help”?
Mohamad Imran: Yes.
Surjan Singh: When? Before discussing the by-election or after?
Mohamad Imran: After the handing over of the RM5,000.
Surjan Singh: And the handing over was done after the discussion about the by-election?
Mohamad Imran: Yes.
Surjan Singh: So it is untrue then that he asked for “help” after talking about your project because there was no conversation at all about your project. Only you spoke about it.
Mohamad Imran: Incorrect.
Surjan Singh: Usaili asked for “help” for what?
Mohamad Imran: (Hesitates) I do not know.
Murmurs were heard in the court room at Mohamad Imran’s testimony for the said RM100,000 had allegedly been paid in exchange for the accused to help the agent obtain the housing project.
Surjan Singh: The RM5,000, you already testified and wrote in your report with the MACC that it was used for the Permatang Pauh by-election, yes? Then what was the RM100,000 for? At the time, is it not true the the campaigning for the elections was going on?
Mohamad Imran: Yes, true.
Surjan Singh: Is it not true that the “help” Usaili was referring to was to help in the by-election?
Mohamad Imran: (Hesitates again) I do not know.
Later, Surjan Singh sought clarification from Mohamad Imran over the words used in the latter’s report with the MACC after the events in Aquarius coffeehouse.
Surjan Singh: Please look at the report. If the court would permit me to read it out aloud. Or on second thought, why don’t you (Mohamad Imran) read the report. It is easier.
Mohamad Imran, who for the past few days had been called a liar by the loud-voiced counsel then looked at Surjan Singh and said, “No. You read it la.” The courtroom erupted in laughter.
Before any argument ensued, Judge Azhaniz Teh told Surjan Singh to proceed with his questioning.
Surjan Singh: In your report you said that you handed over the RM5,000 to Mohd Osman through the hands of Usaili, correct?
Mohamad Imran: Yes.
Surjan Singh: But you did not mention why you had to give the money to Usaili instead of Mohd Osman. You did not put in your report that Mohd Osman had said that Usaili was the director for thye by-election.
Mohamad Imran: Because he did not say that.
Surjan Singh: I am telling you that he had said that. You are a liar and this has already been proven in court.
Mohamad Imran: Oh? Thank you for that information.
Surjan Singh: You said (in your report) that the money was for the by-election, correct?
Mohamad Imran: Correct.
Surjan Singh: Then you said (in your report) that Osman asked for a further RM100,000 “for the same purpose”. This refers to the by-election, correct?
Mohamad Imran: Yes, correct.
Surjan Singh: So now you agree that the RM100,000 was to go for the by-election?
Mohamad Imran: Yes, yes I agree.
Surjan Singh: Fantastic.
Later Mohamad Imran also told the court that he had not known that the MACC had planned to lay a trap for the accused until “the last minute”, which was on Aug 18 last year, just before the arrests were made.
Besides Mohd Osman and Usaili, four others were also charged in the case, including another former state executive councillor Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, businessman Fairul Azrim Ismail, former Perak Tengah district councillor Zul Hassan and the late former Perak Development Corporation technician Ruslan Sahat.
The trial resumes next Wednesday.
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