KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad who today took the stand for his corruption trial told the High Court that the reason he is now in the dock was because of his former special aide Muhammad Zahid Md Arip.
The former Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) chairman said he was implicated in the case by Zahid as the latter was stressed out after being held in a haunted cell at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) building during the course of the investigation.
Under examination-in-chief by his counsel Datuk Salehuddin Saidin, Mohd Isa said both Zahid and he were remanded at the same time over MACC's probe into Felda Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd'S (FICSB) purchase of the Merdeka Palace & Suites Hotel in Kuching, Sarawak, but they were held at different MACC buildings.
"I first met him at a funeral (after the remand) on Jan 28, 2018, and I asked him how was he doing and why was he getting thinner?
"He told me that he was remanded in an old MACC building with three cells and one of them was haunted which made him stressed.
"He then apologised to me and said he had to implicate me to get out of there," Mohd Isa said on the first day of his defence.
Mohd Isa who is also the first defence witness said at that time, he had asked Zahid to correct his statement as it was not a small matter and involved his dignity.
"Zahid told me that he would do it but when we met coincidentally for the second time at the MACC headquarters, Zahid still did not put things right," he said.
He added that at that time, Zahid was already the political secretary to the former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Asked about Zahid's appointment as his special aide in 2011, Mohd Isa said it was on the advice of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
"At first I looked at his (Zahid) record, it was not good. I appointed him as Najib advised me to, so I took him in. It was a request by the prime minister at that time," he said.
Mohd Isa said he sacked Zahid in 2017 as the latter was starting to show support to the Harapan party.
Salehuddin: What do you think of the accusation thrown by Zahid to his ex-boss and why did he have to implicate you?
Mohd Isa: He is like that, he will always save his neck first. Wherever that benefits him, he will go there. That is just his style.
The 71-year old witness also testified that besides Zahid's evidence implicating him in the case, the MACC did not find anything else to show his involvement in receiving the money.
Earlier in his defence, Mohd Isa denied having accepted money totalling over RM3 million in nine occasions over the purchase of Merdeka Palace by Felda subsidiary FICSB in 2014.
He said he had never instructed Zahid to ask Ikhwan Zaidel, Gegasan Abadi Properties Sdn Bhd director, for the money as a reward to help in the approval of the hotel purchase.
"I had never sent any salam (greetings) to Ikhwan through Zahid as I did not know Ikhwan personally and I do not have any relations with him," he said, adding that the 'salam' was made up by Zahid.
He said he has never helped or approved the purchase of the hotel as he did not have any power to do so and he had made this clear to Ikhwan during their meeting.
The witness added that there were no discussions regarding the purchase of the hotel that he knew of and did not promise Ikhwan anything nor did Ikhwan promise him anything in return.
Previously, Zahid who was the 16th prosecution witness testified that 'salam' was used as a codename to mask kickbacks to Mohd Isa and that it meant that the latter needed money from Ikhwan.
Trial continues before judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.
On June 16, Mohd Isa was ordered to enter his defence against nine charges of corruptly receiving more than RM3 million in the purchase of the hotel by FICSB.
However, he was acquitted and discharged of a criminal breach of trust (CBT) charge involving the same hotel.
On Dec 14, 2018, Mohd Isa pleaded not guilty to one count of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and nine counts of receiving gratification amounting to more than RM3 million, by approving a proposal for the purchase of a hotel in Kuching, Sarawak, for FICSB.
