KUALA LUMPUR: The sessions court was told today that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) determined whether approvals in the Jana Wibawa programme were through direct negotiation or pre-qualified open tender.
The former deputy secretary of the finance ministry’s government procurement division, Rosni Yusoff, 52, said decisions were made through instructions from the PMO to the ministry.
“The PMO definitely determined whether their implementation was via direct negotiation or pre-qualified open tender.
“The listing of projects for evaluation by the procurement division includes the companies involved and the method of implementation,” she said during examination by deputy public prosecutor Rasyidah Murni Azmi on the first day of Wan Saiful Wan Jan’s corruption and money laundering trial before judge Rozina Ayob.
Rosni, 52, said that under the open tender process, five to six names of companies were sent to the contractor assessment committee she chaired.
“(Ministry) officers assessed companies under the Jana Wibawa project provided by the ministry. After my officers processed and assessed a project, it would be brought to a committee that I chaired.
“After obtaining the names of the companies, we would bring them to the finance minister. The decision would be given to the public works ministry’s secretary-general for further evaluation,” said the third prosecution witness.
She said the assessment would be based on the company’s compliance with conditions as well as its financial and technical capabilities.
Wan Saiful is accused of soliciting bribes from Lian Tan Chuan as an inducement to help Nepturis Sdn Bhd secure the RM232 million Central Spine Road-Sertik to East Coast Highway Interchange project from the former Perikatan Nasional-led government at the pre-qualification stage.
He is also accused of accepting RM6.96 million in cash through his company, WSA Advisory Group Sdn Bhd’s CIMB bank account from a Maybank Islamic account belonging to Nepturis as a reward for helping the company obtain a letter of acceptance for the project.
Both offences are alleged to have been committed in Kuala Lumpur – at the Royal Lake Club, Taman Tasik Perdana in April 2022, and at CIMB’s Bukit Tunku branch in Taman Tunku, Bukit Tunku between July 8 and Sept 30, 2022.
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Wan Saiful is also charged with 18 counts of laundering RM5.59 million by transferring and using the illegal proceeds to pay for the purchase of a vehicle, making payments to the National Sports Council, as well as transferring money to several company accounts, including one belonging to Sinar Karangkraf Sdn Bhd.
