Azman Azra Abdul Rahman, a former assistant secretary with the Immigration Department, also revealed that former prime minister Najib Razak had told Zahid to go ahead with the project.
Azman told Zahid’s corruption trial that Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd sent a letter to Najib on May 23, 2013, three weeks after the 13th general election.
“The prime minister then penned a note to Zahid, saying that the foreign visa project must proceed,” Azman told Judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa.
Zahid was appointed home minister on May 16, 2013 in Najib’s new Cabinet after the general election, replacing Hishammuddin.
According to Azman, a meeting was held on July 26, 2013 for a presentation on the foreign visa system at the Immigration Department in Putrajaya. He said Zahid had chaired the meeting.
“After the July 26 meeting and another follow-up meeting on July 29, I prepared a proposal for the minister (Zahid) to consider the foreign visa system.
“In the proposal, I mentioned that the foreign visa system would be fully implemented in various countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Pakistan,” he said.
The witness also said the foreign visa system would be monitored by the Immigration Department at all times to ensure the country’s rights were protected.
“The (former) minister agreed to the recommendations,” Azman added.
The court heard that Ultra Kirana’s contract to manage the foreign visa system was from Nov 1, 2013 to Oct 31, 2019.
Origin of foreign visa system
Azman testified that Ultra Kirana first mooted the foreign visa system through its letter to Hishammuddin in March 2010.
He said the ministry, however, rejected Ultra Kirana’s proposal, adding that the Chinese tourists’ visa applications exceeded the system’s capacity to handle them.
“The ministry was of the view that Ultra Kirana’s proposed system could not reduce the workload of consulate officers for the visa applications,” Azman said.
The witness said Ultra Kirana submitted another letter in April 2010, recommending a One Stop Centre (OSC) in Malaysian consulate offices all over China. The OSC was meant to reduce the consulate officers’ workload in processing tourists’ visa applications and to serve as a screening tool to curb human trafficking activities.
“The consulate officers only needed to focus on approving and issuing the visa,” Azman said.
To a question by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin on whether Ultra Kirana’s contract was terminated after Pakatan Harapan took over the government, the witness said the PH government did not do so.
Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Ahmad Zaidi Zainal on whether there was any breach of contract by Ultra Kirana, such as the company allegedly compromising the immigration system, Azman said the company had not done so.
“Since they had done a fair job, there was no reason to terminate their contract?” Zaidi asked, to which the witness agreed.
Azman also agreed with the lawyer’s suggestion that Zahid never instructed his officers to approve the implementation of the integrated foreign visa system with the OSC.
Zahid is standing trial on 40 corruption charges over allegedly receiving bribes in various foreign currencies from Ultra Kirana to implement the foreign visa system.
The hearing continues on Thursday.