RM16 mil from JPSB are mainly for charity

THE High Court in Kuala Lumpur was informed Monday that the RM16 million received by Umno from Jendela Pinggiran Sdn Bhd (JPSB) remains as a donation or contribution to the political party for party activities, charity programmes and welfare for the people.

Umno executive secretary Sumali Reduan said in the party records from April 2015, no complaints, objections or claims were received regarding the RM16 million.

Sumali said that Umno would hypothetically accept US$10 million from Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar if he gave them a donation.

Sumali, who is a witness for Umno in a RM19.5 million civil suit brought by SRC International Sdn Bhd and its two subsidiaries against Umno and Umno Selangor, was answering questions from SRC’s counsel Razlan Hadri Zulkifli.

Sumali said this as Razlan had been asking him during cross-examination about whether it was right for Umno and Umno Selangor to accept a total of RM19.5 million from SRC before verifying its source.

Sumali said that as long as the donations were in line with Umno’s constitution and that they are given genuinely, then Umno will accept them. This is because they carry out a lot of charitable works.

Umno had received RM16 million, while Umno Selangor had received RM3.5 million, via cheques, from former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in April 2015. Najib was Umno president at the time, and had given this money, which had originated from SRC, to Umno.

Sumali said that SRC’s claims in the case are clearly directed at its directors, and Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd — another subsidiary of SRC. He added that if these entities are found to be in breach of trust, then they must recompense SRC.

“If there was a breach of trust found on the directors, then they should be the ones to pay back the RM16 million to SRC, and not Umno,” he said.

Sumali said that Umno was never involved in the running of SRC, and therefore, SRC’s claim that Umno had knowledge of the source of the RM16 million was false.

“To be honest, Umno is a bona fide donation recipient from Jendela Pinggiran Sdn Bhd (JPSB — one of SRC’s subsidiaries). Therefore, Umno should not be responsible for the actions of the directors of SRC and its two subsidiaries,” Sumali said.

He said that the donations and contributions amounting to RM16 million received by Umno from JPSB in April 2015 had already been spent by the party for implementation of activities and community welfare programmes.

“Umno is not, [and] has never enriched itself, nor become rich unfairly, from receiving the RM16 million,” he said.

In this case before judge Datuk Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan, the plaintiff (SRC) claims that JPSB — an SRC unit, allegedly set up to carry out corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and received RM43.96 million of SRC funds in 2015 — was used as Najib’s “slush fund”.

The former prime minister is now serving jail time after having been found guilty in 2022 of criminal breach of trust, money laundering, and abuse of power involving RM42 million of SRC funds. Originally sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million, his jail sentence was halved by the Pardons Board in February last year, while the fine was reduced to RM50 million.

Razlan said Umno and Umno Selangor had received a total of RM19.5 million of SRC funds.

This money was part of the RM43.96 million that SRC had first transferred to Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd (a wholly owned subsidiary of SRC), and subsequently to JPSB, without the approval of SRC’s board of directors.

Gandingan Mentari was involved in transferring funds to political parties. Between April and July 2015, RM43.96 million was transferred from SRC to Gandingan Mentari, and then to JPSB.

The RM43.96 million that JPSB received from SRC was part of the RM4 billion that Retirement Fund (Incorporated) (KWAP) had loaned to SRC between 2011 and 2012.

Of the RM4 billion, RM3.6 billion was transferred out to SRC’s foreign subsidiary incorporated in the British Virgin islands — namely SRC — to undertake foreign investment activities in the energy and resources sector.

The remaining RM400 million was retained by SRC in Malaysia for working capital in the country. This was where the RM43.96 million came from.

Hearing continues today.

 

RM16j derma JPSB adalah untuk kerja amal

MAHKAMAH Tinggi di Kuala Lumpur semalam diberitahu bahawa RM16 juta yang diterima UMNO daripada Jendela Pinggiran Sdn Bhd (JPSB) adalah kekal sebagai derma atau sumbangan kepada parti politik itu bagi melaksanakan aktiviti parti, program amal dan kebajikan untuk rakyat.

Setiausaha Kerja UMNO Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan berkata dalam rekod UMNO sejak April 2015, tiada sebarang aduan, bantahan atau tuntutan diterima oleh parti itu berkenaan dengan penerimaan RM16 juta tersebut.

“Hanya selepas lebih enam tahun, tuntutan ini dibuat terhadap UMNO oleh plaintif-plaintif yang mendakwa bahawa RM16 juta itu diserahkan kepada UMNO secara salah dan penipuan (fraud) akibat pelanggaran kewajipan dan pecah amanah oleh bekas pengarah-pengarah plaintif-plaintif,” kata saksi defendan itu yang mewakili UMNO.

Beliau berkata demikian menerusi pernyataan saksinya pada perbicaraan kes saman yang difailkan oleh SRC International Sdn Bhd dan dua anak syarikatnya – Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd dan Jendela Pinggiran Sdn Bhd (JPSB) terhadap UMNO dan UMNO Selangor pada Mei 2021.

Menurut Mohd Sumali, plaintif-plaintif dan Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd (IPSB), termasuk pengarah-pengarahnya atau wakil-wakilnya, juga tidak pernah hadir atau terlibat dalam setiap aktiviti dan program yang telah dianjurkan dan dilaksanakan oleh UMNO.

“Dalam rekod UMNO, tidak ada sebarang surat-menyurat antara plaintif-plaintif atau IPSB dengan UMNO. Oleh itu, RM16 juta itu kekal sebagai derma atau sumbangan kepada UMNO.

“Atas alasan ini, UMNO tidak ada sebab untuk meragui atau mengkhuatiri derma dan sumbangan yang diterima daripada JPSB, yang mana UMNO juga menerima derma dan sumbangan daripada pelbagai pertubuhan korporat lain sebelum ini,” jelasnya.

Mohd Sumali berkata UMNO juga tidak langsung mempunyai pengetahuan bahawa RM16 juta berkenaan diserahkan kepada UMNO bagi tujuan Tanggungjawab Sosial Korporat (CSR) kerana perkara itu tidak pernah dimaklumkan kepada UMNO dan tidak dicatat di mana-mana surat-menyurat atau dokumen dalaman UMNO.

“Derma dan sumbangan yang diterima daripada JPSB ini pada April 2015 telah pun dibelanjakan oleh UMNO bagi penganjuran dan pelaksanaan aktiviti-aktiviti serta program amal dan kebajikan untuk rakyat.

“Adalah jelas, tuntutan plaintif-plaintif sebenarnya adalah terhadap bekas pengarah-pengarahnya dan IPSB, bukannya UMNO,” katanya.

Pada prosiding hari ini, peguam Mohamed Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman mewakili UMNO manakala plaintif diwakili peguam Razlan Hadri Zulkifli.

Dalam saman terhadap UMNO, plaintif menuntut RM16 juta, yang mereka dakwa telah dipindahkan secara salah kepada parti politik itu dengan menegaskan bahawa UMNO tidak mempunyai asas untuk menerima dana itu.

Saman kedua melibatkan tuntutan RM3.5 juta terhadap Badan Perhubungan UMNO Selangor (UMNO Selangor) yang juga didakwa telah menerima dana tersebut.

Perbicaraan di hadapan Hakim Datuk Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan bersambung esok.

 

Tabung Perjuangan Donation