MACC officer denies key witness against Muhyiddin given ‘special treatment’, ‘immunity’ from own corruption case

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) did not give “special treatment” and has not struck a deal with businessman Datuk Seri Azman Yusoff in exchange for him being a key prosecution witness against former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the High Court heard today.

MACC senior assistant commissioner Mazery Mohd Zaini, who investigated Muhyiddin’s power abuse case, confirmed this while testifying as the 29th prosecution witness in the Bersatu president’s trial here.

Under cross-examination by Muhyiddin’s lawyer Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, Mazery confirmed that Azman was a suspect in an MACC investigation in 2023 involving serious allegations of him and his associated companies KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd and Addeen Engineering Sdn Bhd soliciting and accepting bribes.

Previously, Azman, who is Bumiputera Contractors Association of Malaysia (PKBM) president, confirmed that the two companies had received RM9.35 million from several contractors.

While confirming investigations showed Azman’s companies receiving RM9.35 million from Jana Wibawa contractors, Mazery disagreed that there is a “prima facie” case that Azman had solicited and received bribes.

Mazery said he will not investigate Azman again after this, but said he did not know if the case against Azman has been closed.

Mazery disagreed that his investigation on Azman is “biased”, and also denied protecting Azman.

Hisyam: You protect Datuk Azman because he came to court to give evidence against Tan Sri.

Mazery: I disagree.

Mazery told Hisyam that he did not find it “strange” on the different outcomes for two individuals — where Azman had not been charged for receiving RM1 million from Jana Wibawa contractor Nepturis Sdn Bhd while Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad was charged for receiving RM2 million from the same company.

Mazery confirmed that Azman was not remanded during MACC investigations, but denied any special treatment was given to the businessman.

Hisyam: And I say he received special treatment from the MACC because there is a deal between MACC and Azman — testify in court, will be given immunity.

Mazery: I disagree.

Mazery later also disagreed with Hisyam’s suggestion that MACC did not take action on Azman as it needs him to come to court to be a prosecution witness against Muhyiddin.

Hisyam suggested that Azman had no choice but to cooperate with the MACC due to the businessman’s own corruption case, but Mazery disagreed.

Mazery also disagreed that MACC had used the corruption allegations against Azman as a “sword”, also disagreeing that was why Azman had agreed with everything MACC wanted him to agree in court.

Former Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is pictured at the Kuala Lumpur High Court Complex on September 2, 2026. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

This afternoon, lead prosecutor Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin asked why Mazery had disagreed that the RM9.35 million were bribes to Azman.

Mazery then said that his investigations had shown a money trail where those funds were actually meant for the political party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.

“Because the money that entered Addeen and KCJ’s accounts are actually to be moved to party Bersatu’s account. So it is based on the trail that I made,” he said.

“Based on the money trail I carried out, the money which entered from the companies you mentioned to Addeen and KCJ were re-entered to party Bersatu’s account,” he added.

While confirming that Muhyiddin’s name did not appear in several complaints to the MACC on alleged corruption cases linked to Jana Wibawa and had only appeared in a money laundering complaint, Mazery explained that Muhyiddin was charged because of investigation findings.

“Because based on investigations that were carried out on the complaint, the investigation findings show Datuk Azman asked for donations and deposited them into party Bersatu’s account, as a ‘balasan’ (reward) for Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s helping companies to get Jana Wibawa projects. So because of that, the charges on Tan Sri were carried out,” he explained.

Earlier today, the High Court allowed Muhyiddin’s application to recall four prosecution witnesses on specific issues, saying that this was in the interest of justice.

Muhyiddin’s lawyers had this morning applied to recall those four witnesses, as the prosecution had changed its plans and decided not to call in Adam Radlan as a prosecution witness.

The four witnesses are Azman, contractors Nepturis Sdn Bhd’s Lian Tan Chuan and Mamfor Sdn Bhd’s Shahradzi Shamsuddin, and MACC assistant enforcement officer Mohd Syawaludin Said.

In this trial, Muhyiddin is facing seven charges, namely four counts of alleged power abuse to obtain RM225.3 million in bribes for his party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (from Nepturis Sdn Bhd, Datuk Seri Azman Yusoff, KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd, Bukhary Equity Sdn Bhd and Mamfor Sdn Bhd), and three counts of alleged money laundering involving money that Bersatu received from Bukhary Equity.

The trial before High Court judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin is scheduled to resume tomorrow, with Mazery and the four recalled prosecution witnesses expected to take the stand.