KUALA LUMPUR – A day after celebrating his 70th birthday, former Federal Territories minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has been found guilty in his RM2 million graft case.
Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan delivered the verdict this morning.
“The prosecution has succeeded in proving its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“The accused has failed to raise reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case.
“I find the accused guilty, and convict him on the charge.”
After the judgment, the court took a recess of 30 to 45 minutes to allow the defence to prepare for mitigation during sentencing later.
The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim, while lawyer Datuk Tan Hock Chuan led the defence.
Zaini initially fixed November 17 for a decision, but it was adjourned following the enforcement of the conditional movement control order.
Putrajaya MP Tengku Adnan was charged in his capacity as a civil servant, namely Federal Territories minister, with having received for himself RM2 million from businessman Tan Sri Chai Kin Kong, who is Aset Kayamas Sdn Bhd director, via a Hong Leong Islamic Bank cheque belonging to the company.
The cheque was then deposited into a CIMB Bank account owned by Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd, in which Tengku Adnan has an interest and is known to Aset Kayamas as being related to the former minister’s official duties.
Tengku Adnan was accused of committing the offence, under Section 165 of the Penal Code, at CIMB Bank Bhd’s Pusat Bandar Damansara branch here on June 14, 2016.
He faces imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine, or both.
The trial began on July 2 last year, with the prosecution calling 23 witnesses, including two former Kuala Lumpur mayors – Tan Sri Ahmad Phesal Talib and Tan Sri Mohd Amin Nordin Abd Aziz – as well as Chai, the star prosecution witness.
On October 14 last year, the high court ordered Tengku Adnan to enter his defence after the prosecution succeeded in establishing a prima facie case against him.
He chose to give his sworn statement from the witness stand, and his defence proceedings were held for two days, on January 17 and March 5.
In his testimony, Tengku Adnan admitted that he received a cheque for RM2 million from Chai on June 14, 2016 for Sg Besar (Selangor) and Kuala Kangsar (Perak) by-election campaign expenses on June 18 the same year.
The by-elections were held following the deaths of incumbents Datuk Noriah Kasnon and Datuk Wan Mohammad Khairil Anuar Wan Ahmad, both from Umno, in a helicopter crash in Sebuyau, Sarawak, on May 5, 2016.
Tengku Adnan told the court that the RM2 million given by Chai was like “pocket money” to him.
Other witnesses called to testify were his former political secretary, Datuk Mohd Rafi Alli Hassan, Simpang Renggam Umno division chief Datuk Zakaria Dullah and former Sg Besar by-election machinery director Datuk Rizalman Mokhtar.
On June 30, the defence closed its case after calling four witnesses, in a proceeding that lasted four days from March 4, with Tengku Adnan called as the first defence witness.
On December 7, the MP was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal by another high court on a charge of accepting a RM1 million bribe from businessman Datuk Tan Eng Boon, who has pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of abetting the politician, and was fined RM1.5 million.
Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali made the ruling after being informed that the prosecution did not wish to continue the case against Tengku Adnan, as there were new developments. – The Vibes, December 21, 2020
