Ong Jen Ne, 54, the customer service and operations manager at Hong Leong Bank’s Taiping branch, confirmed the payment to Good Square Sdn Bhd’s account as per its statement for Nov 1 to 30, 2022, Bernama reported.
“According to this document, I confirm that there was a money transfer into this account from a different bank on Nov 8, 2022,” she said, adding that the transaction details mentioned Wan Saiful & Associates Sdn Bhd.
Ong, the 18th prosecution witness, was responding to deputy public prosecutor Nor Diana Nor Azwa during examination-in-chief at the trial of Wan Saiful, who is charged with money laundering and corruption in connection with the Jana Wibawa project.
She also confirmed that the account was opened at the bank’s Taiping branch on May 16, 2014, and that it required only one of two signatories.
She replied in the negative when asked by Wan Saiful’s lawyer, Amer Hamzah Arshad, if there had been any instruction from the authorities to freeze the account.
Questioned by Nor Diana as to why Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers only referred to the transaction dated Nov 8, 2022, the witness said: “For investigation purposes.”
Wan Saiful, 49, is accused of transferring RM46,487.85, allegedly derived from illegal activities, into the account of Good Square.
The two corruption charges involve soliciting bribes to help Nepturis Sdn Bhd secure a road project and obtain the security, safety and technical requirements for the same project.
The first corruption charge involves soliciting a bribe from Lian Tan Chuan as an inducement to help Nepturis secure the Central Spine Road Sertik to Lebuhraya Pantai Timur project from the government, a pre-qualification contract valued at RM232 million.
On the second charge, he is accused of receiving RM6,962,694.54 into his company, WSA Advisory Group Sdn Bhd’s account at CIMB Bank from Nepturis as payment for helping the company secure the SST for the project.
Both offences are alleged to have occurred at the Royal Lake Club, Kuala Lumpur, in April 2022, and at CIMB Bank’s Bukit Tunku branch between July 8 and Sept 30, 2022.
Wan Saiful also faces 18 charges of money laundering involving RM5.59 million, which includes transferring and utilising illegal proceeds at CIMB Bank’s Bukit Tunku branch between Aug 12 and Nov 13, 2022.
The trial before judge Rosli Ahmad will continue on Feb 4.