Former deputy secretary in the home ministry’s immigration affairs, Siti Jalilah Abd Manap, said the home ministry needed to evaluate the contractor’s services before any decision could be made on extending the contract.

“If the contract is extended well before the expiry date, we would inherit problems from the existing contract.

“We need to identify if there are any hiccups in the system during the existing contract period. From there, we can request the supplier to make changes,” she told deputy public prosecutor Gan Peng Kun.

She was asked why she felt it was “too early” for Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd to file an application for contract extension.

The court had previously heard that Ultra Kirana had, in an Oct 17, 2016 letter, urged the government to extend its contract on the foreign visa system for another six years until 2025.

The contract to manage the foreign visa system initially ran from Nov 1, 2013 to Oct 31, 2019.

Zahid had given the green light to extend Ultra Kirana’s contract to 2022.

Siti Jalilah also told the court that, as a public servant, she was concerned if the early contract renewal would lead to implications to the ministry and users, who are mostly tourists and expatriates.

“Any government project that costs over RM25 million and managed by private entities needs to be brought to the attention of Ukas (Prime Minister’s Office’s public private partnership unit), whether it is a new project or renewing existing ones.

“My job was to make sure everything is done properly,” she said.

Earlier, during cross-examination, Zahid’s lawyer Ahmad Zaidi Zainal had asked if there was nothing wrong with Ultra Kirana requesting for an extension of the contract, three years before its expiry. Siti Jalilah answered in the affirmative.

Zaidi: Are you aware that the government and Ultra Kirana will take 50% each from the RM105 visa processing fees, charged to each tourist?
Siti Jalilah: I disagree. All the fees go to the company.

The defence then suggested to the witness that under the government’s circular, there is no need for any department or agency to refer to Ukas if they want to extend a government contract.

“I disagree. Any government project managed by private companies must be taken to Ukas,” Siti Jalilah insisted.

The hearing before Judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa continues on Oct 22.