Trial: MACC once probed Perak mosque funded by Zahid’s charity on 1MDB link claims, witness says

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had once investigated the Masjid Tuminah Hamidi — a mosque in Bagan Datuk, Perak, said to be funded by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s charity Yayasan Akalbudi — over allegations of possible links to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the High Court heard today.

Ramli Ghani, the project manager for the mosque, said this while testifying as the ninth prosecution witness in Zahid’s trial where the latter is accused of alleged criminal breach of trust of Yayasan Akalbudi funds.

Working in the mosque’s contractor Noble Energy Construction Sdn Bhd, Ramli said he knows that the Masjid Tuminah Hamidi is funded through Yayasan Akalbudi’s donations and that Zahid’s family’s Yayasan Al-Falah is the developer of the mosque.

Ramli said that work on the mosque started in July 2017 after a June 2017 groundbreaking ceremony officiated by then DPM Zahid, but said that work on the mosque stopped briefly in mid-2018 as the MACC was probing Yayasan Akalbudi.

Asked by Zahid’s lawyer Aiman Abdul Rahman if the MACC had also probed him at that time, Ramli said the MACC had also visited his office then at the Masjid Tuminah Hamidi project site, but said the investigations were not in relation to Yayasan Akalbudi.

“At that time, there were many stories over whether this project was related to 1MDB at that time,” Ramli said, but did not further elaborate on this point.

According to Ramli, the MACC’s 2018 probe on Yayasan Akalbudi resulted in three months’ worth of payments for the mosque’s construction works not being obtained, as the MACC had frozen Yayasan Akalbudi’s account.

He said it was only four to five months later after Yayasan Al-Falah gave the clearance that construction work resumed in 2019, adding that the mosque was used in March this year during the Muslims’ fasting month Ramadan and that it was finally completed in April this year.

Ramli said the mosque was initially scheduled to be completed in 2021, saying that the delay was due to disruption in construction works due to the freezing of Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds.

Ramli said the mosque project’s cost was RM38 million before a variation order involving additional costs of around RM5.7 million.

Apart from the mosque complex construction under Noble Energy together with Yayasan Restu, Ramli said the other part of the mosque construction works were carried out by Supreme Pride Sdn Bhd for the building of external infrastructure involving parking lots, square as well as water and electricity supply.

Ramli said Zahid had previously visited the mosque’s construction site once every month during 2018 and 2019 and subsequently every two months to monitor the progress, and that Zahid would chair project management meetings during those visits.

“What was discussed was mostly about changes and proposals that we bring to Datuk Seri Zahid, whether he agrees or not, because we have to get Datuk Seri Zahid’s approval as the owner,” Ramli said.

Previously, Zahid’s special officer Datuk Mohd Kamal Abdullah had as the sixth defence witness also testified that RM38 million is the estimated cost for the Masjid Tuminah Hamidi, which is a mosque floating over a river and named after Zahid’s parents.

The 10th defence witness Mohd Sani Chik, who was the chairman of the Masjid Al Aula mosque in Hutan Melintang, Bagan Datuk, Perak from 2004 to July 31 this year, said he had been involved in efforts to build the mosque since 1998.

Mohd Sani said he had together with the mosque’s building committee chairman — identified as the late Haji Yusuf — gone to Bank Simpanan Nasional’s then chairman Zahid’s office in the bank in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, and that Zahid had personally handed over a RM400,000 cheque to them for Masjid Al Aula.

Asked by deputy public prosecutor Datuk Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar, Mohd Sani said he only saw the cheque being handed over but did not know whether it was Zahid’s personal cheque.

Mohd Sani also said he does not know the source of the RM400,000 given by Zahid via a cheque, and confirmed he did not ask Zahid about the source of the money.

Mohd Sani said the mosque site of 2.5 acres for Masjid Al Aula was fully funded by Zahid with the RM400,000, while saying the construction of the mosque itself cost RM3.5 million.

Mohd Sani said Zahid officiated Masjid Al Aula’s groundbreaking ceremony in 1999 and that the mosque was completed in 2004.

Ramli is expected to continue testifying tomorrow when Zahid’s trial resumes before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

Zahid, who is also Umno president and Barisan Nasional chairman, is facing 47 charges in this trial.

The 47 charges are namely, 12 counts of criminal breach of trust in relation to over RM31 million of Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds, 27 counts of money laundering, and eight counts of bribery charges of over RM21.25 million in alleged bribes.