KUALA LUMPUR: Nepturis Sdn Bhd, the company implicated in the corruption trial involving the Jana Wibawa scandal, received a four-star rating from the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).
CIDB assistant engineer Siti Nooraishah Zainal Abidin said a letter on behalf of Nepturis was issued from the board's construction industry information management system (CIMS) after the company applied for the contractor capability and performance assessment programme (SCORE).
"CIMS will generate a reference number for the SCORE application process.
"It was found that Nepturis had obtained a four-star rating based on re-examination of documents uploaded by the company.
"I can confirm that I have seen the CIDB SCORE letter on behalf of Nepturis dated Oct 26, 2021," she said.
Nooraishah said this when testifying in the corruption and money laundering trial involving Tasek Gelugor member of parliament Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan involving the Jana Wibawa scandal.
Nepturis is a company allegedly assisted by Wan Saiful in obtaining the Central Spine Road: Sertik ke Persimpangan Lebuhraya Pantai Timur project from the government through a pre-qualification process worth RM232 million.
Deputy public prosecutor Siti Amirah Muhammad Ali during examination-in-chief asked the witness about the necessity for a company to obtain a star rating from CIDB.
Nooraishah said the rating would provide recognition to contractors with capabilities and capacities, which would assist clients in selecting reputable contractors for their respective projects.
The witness said in SCORE, CIDB would assess based on documents uploaded by contractors or companies including business performance, financial and technical capability as well as project management.
She said besides assessing the capabilities of a company, CIDB would also check the status of a contractor company, whether it was Bumiputera-status or vice versa.
"However, I am not sure about the status of Nepturis because it is not within my job scope. I only manage the accreditation unit," she added.
Wan Saiful, 47, is charged with soliciting a bribe from one Lian Tan Chuan as an inducement for him to help a company, Nepturis Sdn Bhd, secure the RM232 million-worth "Central Spine Road: Sertik to East Coast Expressway Interchange" project from the federal government.
Wan Saiful is charged with receiving RM6,962,694.54, which was transferred from a Maybank Islamic Bhd account owned by Nepturis Sdn Bhd into a CIMB Bank Bhd account held by his company, WSA Advisory Group Sdn Bhd, as a reward for helping the company obtain a letter of acceptance for the project.
He is alleged to have committed both offences at the Royal Lake Club, Taman Tasik Perdana here, in April last year and at CIMB Bank Bhd Bukit Tunku branch, Taman Tunku, Bukit Tunku here, between July 8 and Sept 30 last year.
Wan Saiful was also charged with 18 counts of money laundering involving RM5.59 million by transferring and using the illegal proceeds to pay for the purchase of a Ford Ranger vehicle, making payments to the Malaysian National Sports Council as well as transferring money to several company accounts, including one belonging to Sinar Karangkraf Sdn Bhd.