Public Bank banking services manager Low Mong Tuan told Wan Saiful’s corruption trial that the transaction from Wan Saiful & Associates Sdn Bhd to Tagami Auto Enterprise Sdn Bhd took place on Aug 12, 2022.
Low, who used to be with Public Bank’s Sungai Chua branch, told the court that she did not know if the transaction was deemed suspicious, Bernama reported.
“At that time, I did not know whether the transaction was suspicious until I received an email from the higher-ups stating that documents related to the transaction needed to be provided to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
“I only got to know about it when the investigating officer interviewed me,” she said in response to a question from deputy public prosecutor Rasyidah Murni Adzmi.
One of the charges against Wan Saiful, the director of WSA Advisory Group Sdn Bhd, is that he transferred RM78,800 from the company’s CIMB Bank account to Tagami Auto’s Public Bank account as payment for a Ford Ranger vehicle. The funds were allegedly derived from illegal activities.
The Bersatu leader is also accused of transferring RM36,550, alleged to be proceeds of illegal activities, from WSA Advisory Group’s CIMB Bank account to a Bank Rakyat account owned by Pertubuhan Penggerak Muafakat Bagan Seberang Perai Utara.
Earlier, prosecution witness Norazman Salleh, an assistant bank manager at Bank Rakyat’s Seberang Jaya branch, said the RM36,550 transfer was done via DuitNow on Oct 10, 2022.
He clarified that he was not the assistant bank manager when the transaction occurred.
“At that time, the assistant bank manager was Mr Roslan, and he was the individual who would make a report if there were suspicious transactions. I am not sure if this transaction was reported or not,” said the eighth prosecution witness.
Wan Saiful is charged with soliciting a bribe from Lian Tan Chuan as an inducement to help Nepturis Sdn Bhd obtain the central spine road Sertik to East Coast Expressway interchange project from the government, with a prequalification value of RM232 million.
He is also accused of receiving RM6.96 million in cash through the CIMB Bank account of his company WSA Advisory Group, from the Maybank Islamic Bhd account of Nepturis Sdn Bhd, as a reward for helping the company obtain the letter of acceptance for the project.
The Tasek Gelugor MP is alleged to have committed both offences at the Royal Lake Club, Taman Tasik Perdana here in April 2022 and at the CIMB Bank’s Bukit Tunku branch between July 8 and Sept 30, 2022.
Wan Saiful also faces 18 counts of laundering RM5.59 million, by transferring and using funds derived from illegal activities, including payments for a Ford Ranger, payments to the National Sports Council of Malaysia, and the transfer of funds to several company accounts, including that of Sinar Karangkraf Sdn Bhd.
The offences were allegedly committed at the Bukit Tunku CIMB Bank branch here between Aug 12 and Nov 13, 2022, under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
The trial before judge Rozina Ayob will resume on July 10.