ALT ALT ALT

Tengku Adnan gave up to RM300,000 monthly for Umno

Tengku Adnan gave up to RM300,000 monthly for Umno

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor provided funds up to RM300,000 on a monthly basis for Umno, testified his former senior political secretary, Datuk Mohd Rahimi Rejab.

Rahimi confirmed that that Tengku Adnan had on multiple occasions used his own funds as advance for Umno’s expenses, including staff salaries and election campaigns.

“Because Datuk Seri is not only at Umno headquarters, (but also at) Federal Territories Umno and Putrajaya Umno. So it is a big sum.

“Around RM100,000 to RM300,000, maybe more, per month,” he said on the fourth day of Tengku Adnan’s trial.

Tengku Adnan had multiple roles within Umno – Umno supreme council member, Federal Territories Umno chief, Putrajaya Umno division chief, and the top post of Umno secretary-general.

Rahimi also told the court that the Federal Territories Umno operated independently with funding from Tengku Adnan.

Rahimi who was Tengku Adnan’s chief of staff for 15 years from the year 2003, explained that Tengku Adnan had a hectic schedule that involves 10 to 20 appointments a day.

Questioned by Tengku Adnan’s lawyer, Datuk Tan Hock Chuan Mohd Rahimi said he would schedule such appointments or meetings with Tengku Adnan if these were to take place at the then-minister’s offices.

In his capacity as Federal Territories Minister, Tengku Adnan had three offices, of which two were in Putrajaya– Federal Territories Ministry and Perbadanan Putrajaya and the third at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

Appointments and meetings were held at the three offices.

Tan asserted that the meetings involved people looking for contributions and such meetings lasted two to three minutes.

Rahimi confirmed, adding that the environment during such meetings were akin to being in a fish market.

The former aide also confirmed that Tengku Adnan gave cash advances to Umno to cover expenses incurred during the June 2016 double elections in Sungai Besai Selangor and Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

He also confirmed that Umno division leaders and party supporters were recipients of Tengku Adnan’s cash advances.

Meanwhile, when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Firdaous Mohamed Idris, Rahimi said he was unsure of the source of Tengku Adnan’s funds.

He added that he knew about funds given out as he had asked the recipients.

Mohd Rahimi said he would then ask Tengku Adnan if he was agreeable to meeting these politicians and would only schedule the appointments if Tengku Adnan agreed.

“After they meet Datuk Seri, sometimes he will tell me he gave contributions to them,” Mohd Rahimi said.

Tengku Adnan is facing trial as he allegedly accepted RM2 million in bribe in June 2016 from property developer Aset Kayamas Sdn Bhd’s Tan Sri Chai Kin Kong in the form of a cheque banked in into Tengku Adnan’s company Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd.

In its opening statement at the start of the trial, the prosecution had said it would produce evidence to show that Tengku Adnan had asked Chai to contribute RM5 million to RM6 million for by-election funds, and also evidence to show that the businessman had subsequently personally handed over a RM2 million cheque to Tengku Adnan at the latter’s DBKL office.

Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd group chief operating officer Datuk Mohd Hasbi Jaafar countered that the RM2 million was meant as political donation.