Former PM Muhyiddin, ‘Azman’ and ‘Adam’ listed in same July 2020 golf game at Tropicana, witness tells court

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin played in a golf game in July 2020 at Tropicana Golf Club with 14 other players, including two individuals identified as “Azman” and “Adam”, Tropicana Golf & Country Resort Berhad (TGCRB) employee Saravanan Subaramaniam told the High Court today.

TGCRB group head of security Saravanan said this while testifying as the 28th prosecution witness in Muhyiddin’s power abuse and money laundering trial.

Saravanan said Tropicana Golf Club’s digital golf registration system showed that Muhyiddin and the 14 other individuals had played there in four “flights”, or groups, on July 19, 2020, with a single invoice issued for all 15 players.

The invoice was recorded under four players’ names, including Muhyiddin’s name.

Based on documents known as Green Fees Tags, which were printed from the golf club’s computer system, Saravanan confirmed Muhyiddin had played with three other players in the first flight with a tee-off time of 8.49am, while “Azman” and three others were in the second flight, teeing off at 8.57am, and “Adam” and three others were in the fourth flight, which teed off at 9.13am.

Saravanan did not provide the full names of the golf players “Azman” and “Adam” and was not asked to confirm if they referred to any individuals who had previously testified or been mentioned in this trial.

Last week, Bumiputera Contractors Association of Malaysia (PKBM) president Datuk Seri Azman Yusoff, testifying as the 27th prosecution witness, said he had played at the Tan Sri Muhyiddin Charity Golf (TSMCG) tournament at Tropicana Golf Club in July 2020.

Azman had said that he, Muhyiddin and “Adam” had played in three separate teams in the same game and that he had a one-on-one meeting with Muhyiddin at 3pm after the tournament.

Azman had testified that Muhyiddin had, in that meeting, spontaneously said contractors could donate directly to the latter’s political party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, and that the spontaneous remark was made during a conversation about government projects for Bumiputera contractors.

Azman last week also testified that he and his company KCJ Engineering Sdn Bhd had donated RM4.8 million to Bersatu after getting a RM62 million government project under the Muhyiddin administration’s Jana Wibawa programme due to Muhyiddin’s July 2020 remarks.

Tropicana Golf & Country Resort group head of security S. Saravanan arrives at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex to testify in former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s trial, September 1, 2026. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Golf club’s computer records on July 2020 players not modified, witness says

Today, Saravanan explained that a person would have to book a game at Tropicana Golf Club by entering the names of all the players, as well as the date and time, into the club’s computerised registration system.

Saravanan said he did not know who had booked the July 19, 2020 game without referring to the club’s system, adding that the information provided was considered accurate unless changes were requested by the person who booked it.

Saravanan said any such changes by the person who booked the game must be made before tee-off and before the invoice is issued, and no changes can be made in the computer system once the invoice and Green Fees Tags have been issued.

Based on the club’s data in its computer system, Saravanan told deputy public prosecutor Wan Nur Iman Wan Ahmad Afzal that no changes had been made by the person who booked the July 19, 2020 game.

Earlier, under cross-examination by Muhyiddin’s lawyer Chetan Jethwani, Saravanan agreed that the golf club’s staff only key in the names of golfers provided by the person who booked the game without checking the names.

Saravanan agreed that the accuracy of the information provided could be verified by the person who made the booking.

While golf players are usually required to pay for the game and have invoices issued before the game starts, Saravanan said there are “special cases” involving VIP guests where the club would respect them by not asking them to pay first.

“In our case, at that time YAB Tan Sri was the prime minister, so we don’t want to rush to issue invoice,” he told deputy public prosecutor Khairunnissa Hazwani Omar, referring to Muhyiddin, who was the PM then.

Saravanan also highlighted that the July 19, 2020 golf game involving Muhyiddin was “complimentary”, with no payment required as it was borne by the golf club’s management.

Chetan had earlier today questioned why the invoice could be issued hours after the July 19, 2020 game started, with Saravanan saying that this was possible when no payment was needed.

Was the July 2020 game a tournament or friendly game?

Asked by deputy public prosecutor Khairunnissa Hazwani Omar, Saravanan said that the July 19, 2020 game could refer to either a normal golf game or a tournament.

“Usually if playing in a small group among themselves, we call it a ‘friendly game’ among themselves.

“If it is a tournament and contest, it refers to a big group, usually over 10 to 20 flight, namely with total players of around 40 to 160,” Saravanan replied.

Last week, Muhyiddin’s lawyer Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad had sought to challenge Azman’s testimony that he had joined the TSMCG tournament in July 2020 in the morning before his solo meeting with Muhyiddin in the afternoon.

Amer had said that the golf tournament only took place in October 2020 in Desaru, Johor, and not in July 2020, but Azman replied that he was unsure and could not remember before confirming that there was such a tournament in October 2020.

Azman ultimately disagreed with Amer’s suggestion last week that the July 2020 golf game he joined was not a TSMCG tournament.

Today, deputy public prosecutor Noralis Mat informed the High Court that the prosecution would not be calling Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad to testify as a witness in this trial but may offer him as a witness to the defence.

Previously, businessman Lian Tan Chuan told this trial that Azman had introduced him to Adam Radlan as Muhyiddin’s close friend and that Azman had said Adam Radlan frequently played golf with Muhyiddin.

Lian previously said he had handed over letters of interest in a Jana Wibawa project tender from five companies, including his Bumiputera firm Nepturis Sdn Bhd, to Adam Radlan to be passed to Muhyiddin and that Nepturis had given RM1 million to Bersatu after getting the RM141 million project.

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.