By Clara Chooi
The corruption trial involving two former Perak PKR state executive councillors today saw the screening of a video which showed two of their fellow accused engaging in sex acts with prostitutes from China.
The video showed former Perak Tengah district councillor Zul Hassan, 45, and businessman Fairul Azrim Ismail, 31 engaging in sex with the women.
It had been recorded with pinhole cameras at an apartment in Batu Ferringhi, Penang, by businessman Mohamad Imran Abdullah, 34, who acted as the “agent provocateur” for MACC.
The courtroom was cleared by Sessions Court Judge Azhaniz Teh Azman Teh following an objection from Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) head of prosecution unit Datuk Abdul Razak Musa.
Defence lawyer Surjan Singh had objected to the move.
“If you are going to dance, dance properly,” he told Abdul Razak.
Judge Azhaniz Teh said he had no qualms about allowing the media to view the video but added that perhaps the matter was best decided by the accused himself.
Lawyer S. Muthu, who is representing Zul, then asked the accused. The latter, with a smile, said he would prefer for the court to be cleared during the viewing.
Lawyers later confirmed the video had been “painful” to watch. Zul, they said, was seen hugging the Chinese national at first, before the two proceeded to the toilet and emerged naked. They later were seen engaging in sexual acts on the bed.
Earlier, another matter raised during today’s hearing was that the RM5,000 that former PKR man Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi, 52, was accused of accepting at his office in the State Secretariat on Aug 14 last year, had been given as a “contribution”, instead of as “gratification”, and was to be used for the Permatang Pauh by-election.
In his testimony, the prosecution’s sixth witness Mohamad Imran Abdullah, 34, told the court that he had told Jamaluddin when he met with the latter that day that he had brought with him some “contribution.”
Mohamad Imran, who was the agent provocateur for investigators, said that Jamaluddin had then asked what the “contribution” was for.
He said that another accused, PKR politician and former assemblyman Usaili Alias, who had also been present in the room at the time, had cut in to say: “It is for Permatang Pauh.”
When the MACC’s Abdul Razak asked him what the RM5,000 was intended for, Mohamad Imran said: “To me, the money was to help in the Permatang Pauh by-election and to help me get the project in Seri Iskandar.”
Judge Azhaniz Teh then cut in and asked, “To you? You are saying that this is ‘to you’.”
Mohamad Imran nodded and said, “Yes, to me. To me, the money was meant for Permatang Pauh and the project.”
The court also viewed video footage of the incident in Jamaluddin’s office on Aug 14, which was recorded using a pinhole camera given to Mohamad Imran by the agency.
The recording showed Mohamad Imran passing RM5,000 in notes, all uncovered, to Jamaluddin who did not take the money.
“He told me to hand it over to Usaili, who took it and put it in his pocket,” Mohamad Imran testified.
Jamaluddin, along with Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu, 57, and three others; Usaili, 56, former Perak Tengah district councillor Zul Hassan, 45, and businessman Fairul Azrim Ismail, 31, face various corruption charges over the proposed multi-million ringgit development project in Seri Iskandar.
Perak Development Corporation technician Ruslan Sahat was also charged along with the group earlier but the charges were dropped after he died in August.
Meanwhile, the court also screened two other recordings which showed cash, in two separate amounts of RM5,000 and RM100,000, being handed over to Mohd Osman, who subsequently indicated that the cash should be passed to Usaili instead.
One occasion was at the Aquarius Coffee House of the Summit Hotel in Bukit Mertajam on Aug 16, 2008, when Mohamad Imran was seen handing over RM5,000 to Mohd Osman.
“Mohd Osman saw the money and asked for it to be handed over to Usaili, who accepted it,” said Mohamad Imran, adding that the money was to help him get the Seri Iskandar project.
On the other occasion, on Aug 19, in Kluang Station restaurant here, Mohamad Imran had handed over a travel bag containing RM100,000 to Mohd Osman.
In the video, the court saw Mohamad Imran unzipping the bag while facing Mohd Osman.
“I then closed it and pushed it towards him but he gestured for me to hand it to Usaili,” said Mohamad Imran.
Usaili, he added, took the bag and kept it at his side.
Anti-graft officers later entered the scene and arrested Usaili and Mohd Osman, as well as Ruslan, who was present at the same coffee shop that day.
In another recording later, the court saw that Mohamad Imran had also passed RM2,000 to Ruslan at the Sri Sayang Apartment at Batu Feringghi, Penang, on Aug 14, 2008.
The meeting that day had been arranged with Mohamad Imran, who was allegedly asked to bring with him three Chinese nationals.
Zul, Fairul Azrim, Ruslan and MACC (then ACA) officer Norliza Musa, who was going undercover as Mohamad Imran’s girlfriend, were also present during the meeting.