Name used to book luxury cars: Witness
Published on: Wednesday, April 27, 2022
By: Jo Ann Mool
Kota Kinabalu: A prosecution witness told the Corruption Court Tuesday he agreed to use his name to book two luxury vehicles on behalf of former State Water Department Director Ag Mohd Tahir Ag Mohd Talib as he would get “introducer commission” from the vehicles’ salesmen.Testifying during examination-in-chief by Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Haresh Prakash Somiah, Muhammad Hussieny Yusof (pic), 43, stated in his witness statement that Ag Mohd Tahir offered him a job as his driver around February 2013 with a salary of RM4,000 a month.
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Hussieny said Ag Mohd Tahir was very interested in new cars and told him about a beautiful car at Max Speed Auto Inanam (Mazda showroom) to which Ag Tahir then asked him to go and have a look.
He said Ag Mohd Tahir was interested to purchase the Mazda 6 and told him to book the car using his name while he (Ag Mohd Tahir) paid the booking fee.
Around June 2016, Ag Mohd Tahir took him to the Mercedes Hap Seng showroom to look at new car models and was interested in the Mercedes Coupe 300 model and also told him to book the car using his name.
Hussieny said the Mazda 6 was registered under the name of Syuhada Enterprise which belonged to Ampuan Hashim Mahmud while the Mercedes under Ami Enterprise which belonged to Ag Mohd Isham Ag Mahmud and confirmed that both were used by Ag Mohd Tahir.
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Hussieny also stated that he borrowed RM30,000 from Ag Mohd Tahir as he wanted to buy a Proton Preve.
He said Ag Mohd Tahir gave him the money in a bag a week later. On trial is Ag Mohd Tahir, 58, his wife Fauziah Piut, 55, and former deputy director of the department Lim Lam Beng, 66, who had on Dec 29, 2016 pleaded not guilty to 37 counts of money laundering, involving RM61.57million.
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When referred to a detailed vehicle information and insurance document of a Ford Ranger 3.2 WT 4WD with a plate number SB 66 C, Hussieny certified that it was owned by NBD Enterprise and that it was parked at Ag Mohd Tahir’s house at Sembulan and usually used during weekend only.
Meanwhile, when cross-examined by Ag Mohd Tahir’s counsel Marcel Jude, the witness told Judge Abu Bakar Manat that he received between RM500 and RM1,000 commission for one car.
Hussieny currently runs a cigarette product business and small project contract said he never told Ag Mohd Tahir about the introducer commission because the latter also did not care about the money.
There was no letter of appointment for working as Ag Mohd Tahir’s driver.
During re-examination, he explained that Ag Mohd Tahir offered him a job as a part-time driver verbally by telling him “You bring me using this car”.
To a suggestion by Marcel, that he was only a friend to Ag Mohd Tahir and he happened to drive for him from time to time, the witness said he was a friend to Ag Mohd Tahir and part-time driver.
The witness also said Ag Mohd Tahir paid his salary in cash every month between RM3,000 and RM4,000 and agreed with the counsel that he was not the official driver for the latter as he had his official driver at Water Department.
Meanwhile, the prosecution’s 17th witness Juliana Mohd Salleh, a trader, certified that Ford Ranger 3.2 WT 4WD with a plate number SB 66 C was registered under her company NBD Enterprise but was not purchased by her.
The witness stated Muhammad Hussieny Yusof bought the vehicle and that the latter borrowed her company’s name because he was not eligible to make the purchase.
The witness added that she consented her company’s name being used as she trusted Hussieny, who was also her friend and that the purchase was made by cash but she did not know who made the payment as she only gave her identity card and trading licence.
Juliana also testified that she never used the vehicle as it was handed over to Hussieny and that she did not know who the latter handed the vehicle.
The trader earlier stated that in early 2012 she worked with Kontraktor Mekar Satu (KMSE) owned by Ag Mohd Fauzi, who was the younger brother of Ag Mohd Tahir.
Juliana stated that she established her company NBD Enterprise in 2011 and that her company was among eight companies, which lent their contractor licences to KMSE Group to get project tender from the Sabah Water Department and other departments too with little commission based on the value of the project.
She added that in 2015 her company obtained seven or eight projects in award tender from the Water Department to the whole Sabah such as new projects, goods supply and maintenance.
Marcel also represented Fauziah while counsel Datuk Tan Hock Chuan, Baldev Singh and Karpaljit Singh appeared for Lim.
Trial continues.
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