KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — A cheque was issued for RM77,300 in works at Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house in Pekan including RM67,000 for two water tank towers, the High Court heard today.
Daud Muhammad, the sole proprietor of Syadilah Enterprise, testified to receiving the cheque of RM77,300, which he subsequently banked into Bank Islam.
Daud is the eighth prosecution witness in Najib’s money-laundering and criminal breach of trust trial over RM42 million of former 1MDB unit SRC International Sdn Bhd.
The contractor said he had received in 2014 instructions from Najib’s Pekan residence manager to build the two new water tank towers there.
Daud said he subsequently issued three separate invoices: RM67,000 for the two water tank towers; RM9,540 for wiring, air-conditioning servicing and roof repairs; and RM760 to repair and replace doorknobs and also for kitchen repairs, all at the Pekan residence.
This totalled RM77,300.
Later, Daud told Najib’s lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, that the two towers had three water tanks with total water capacity of 4,500 litres.
Daud estimated the water tanks to be able to accommodate the needs of 1,000 persons.
He said one of the water tank towers is a three-level structure composed of a storeroom with two water tanks above, while another is a two-level structure with a storeroom and a water tank above.
Daud said one each of the two water tank towers was needed for the public and for Najib and his family respectively.
When asked by Shafee whether his work done at the Pekan home was a luxury or an urgent necessity, Daud replied that it was the latter.
Daud explained that the existing water tanks had to be replaced after multiple repairs as there continued to be problems, including animals going into the water tanks.
Among other things, Daud confirmed that various religious and political gatherings were held at Najib’s Pekan residence that is otherwise known as Seri Kenangan, such as during Hari Haji Korban.
Daud, who is a Pekan resident, confirmed that Najib’s house there acted as a service centre.
Najib is the MP for Pekan, and was at the same time prime minister and Umno president and Barisan Nasional chairman back in 2015.
Daud’s firm is among 15 recipients of cheques totalling over RM10.77 million issued under two AmIslamic Bank accounts that were registered under Najib’s name, based on court documents produced in court previously.
Last week, the owner of a company who also received one of the 15 cheques testified to having received a RM56,500 cheque to install a new water tank at Najib’s residence at 11, Jalan Langgak Duta in Kuala Lumpur.
Mohammad Zakariyya Zearat Khan, the owner of specialist plumbing company Moz (M) Sdn Bhd, said the RM56,500 was for the installation and purchase of a new 12,000-litre or 1,760-gallon water tank, as well as related works such as concrete floor slabs, booster pump, ABS piping, a control panel, installation of a pump house and new tapping.
Upon cross-examination then, Zakariyya had also then told Shafee that the new water tank installed on the ground was a necessity, as pipe bursts and the resulting low water pressure caused the existing water tank at the roof to be empty.
