Ministry Got Nod For Direct Talks On Passport Chip Supply Zahid Trial Told

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Former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the High Court . (Bernama pic)KUALA LUMPUR: A witness told the Ahmad Zahid Hamidi corruption trial that the home ministry cannot hold direct negotiations with any private entity without approval from the finance ministry
Uzailee Abdul Latif, who was then a director in the Treasury’s procurement department, told the High Court that in the case involving passport chip supplier Datasonic Technologies Sdn Bhd, the finance ministry had granted permission to the home ministry to negotiate the chip supply contract
He added that direct negotiations were allowed in situations involving national security and in the case of emergencies
“Yes, the passport is one of the documents having national security implications,” he said, when asked by Zahid’s lawyer Ahmad Zaidi Zainal about the government’s policy on direct negotiations with private companies
Zahid is accused of receiving RM6 million from Datasonic’s director Chew Ben Ben in April 2017 to appoint the company as the passport chip supplier
Another witness, Mohamed Hashim Mohd Ali, who is the chairman of Datasonic Group Bhd, said the company wrote to then prime minister Najib Razak on May 26, 2014, expressing interest in continuing to be the passport chip supplier to the government
Another letter was sent to Zahid on Aug 21 the same year to inform him about the company’s interest
“We had also suggested to the government that they could save up to RM75 million over a five-year period,” Hashim said
However, in June 2016, Hashim said the Immigration Department experienced a shortage of passport chips and the home ministry issued it a warning letter
“I replied to the secretary-general (Alwi Ibrahim) and pledged that we were committed in our duty to supply the chips,” he added
To a question by deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Sazilee Abdul Khairi on the company’s statement denying they were involved in paying kickbacks to Zahid, Hashim said the statement was issued to clarify media reports that linked Datasonic to the former deputy prime minister’s corruption charges
“None of the company directors paid Datuk Seri (Zahid),” he said
The hearing continues before High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah on Feb 13
Zahid has been slapped with 47 charges, including criminal breach of trust, money laundering and accepting bribes for various projects, during his tenure as home minister. -FMT

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