KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 24): The director of Chia Bee Enterprise Sdn Bhd, which had allegedly paid RM10 million to Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's charitable foundation, told the High Court today he was not aware of the payment.

Wong Hee Sing, the 88th witness to testify in Zahid's corruption trial, said he had no knowledge that Chia Bee, of which he was appointed a director in 2008, had contributed RM10 million to Yayasan Akalbudi, a foundation controlled by Zahid.

"I never heard or knew anything of Yayasan Akalbudi, Yayasan Al-Falah and Lewis and Co," he said. Hee Sing told the court that he had never met Zahid before, and had no dealings with the former deputy prime minister.

The witness detailed that he was asked to be a director of Chia Bee by Singaporean businessman Paul Wong, a friend of his late boss at KTS Timber Products Sdn Bhd, in 2008. He is currently a manager at KTS Timber.

"I was a director on [Paul] Wong's behalf purely as a nominee director... I do not play any role at all in Chia Bee. I am not even a company account signatory from the date of appointment until now," said Hee Sing during cross-examination by Zahid's lawyer, Datuk Hamidi Mohd Noh, when asked about the RM10 million donation.

According to Hee Sing, Chia Bee has been dormant since his appointment in 2008 until now and the company has no office nor secretariat.

Paul could not be located and therefore Hee Sing was called to testify in the trial.

Hee Sing replied he did not know when Zahid asked him if the payment made to Lewis and Co was above board and accounted for.

The witness gave the same reply when he was asked if it was common for politicians to have charitable foundations and accept donations.

Zahid, 67, is facing 47 charges, with 12 of them involving criminal breach of trust, eight for corruption and 27 for money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit of funds belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.

The trial resumes tomorrow before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

Edited by Kathy Fong