TEMERLOH: Another witness in the corruption trial of former Federal Territory Umno Youth head Datuk Mohamad Norza Zakaria and his agent, Halimi Kamaruzzaman, told the Sessions Court here that his statement to a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) earlier was inaccurate.

Pahang Special Affairs Department (JASA) director Yusof Jamaludin, who is the 10th prosecution witness, claimed that several of his requests to amend the statement was not done properly by the MACC officers when he was questioned at the Temerloh MACC office on Jan 20 last year.

Questioned by defence counsel Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who represented Mohamad Norza, on the statement that he wanted to amend, Yusof, 52, said it was on a statement linking Mohamad Norza to an envelope containing RM300.

Shafee: Who made all the sentences in the statement?

Yusof : They were all typed by MACC officer by the name of Baharuddin.

Shafee: Did you ask to make corrections?

Yusof: Yes, but some statements were still not erased.

Questioned why he did not insist on having the statement erased, Yusof said he was too tired to pursue the matter after being questioned for about four hours.

Meanwhile, questioned by Halimi's counsel, Jahaberdeen Mohd Yunoos, how Mohamad Norza's name was in the statement, Yusof said he did not know.

Earlier, Yusof, when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Sazilee Abdul Hairy, told the court that he was invited to attend a function at the house of Temerloh Umno vice-chief Mohammad Anuar Yunus on Jan 20 last year, which was also attended by Mohamad Norza.

Yusof also said he was given a white envelope by a member of the Maran Umno divisional committee, Datuk Khadri Musa, at the function.

Ahmad Sazilee: Do you know why the envelope was given?

Yusof: I don;t.

However, when showed to him his earlier statement to MACC, Yusof said there were people trying to influence him to vote for Mohamad Norza for nomination to the Umno Supreme Council posts at the party election in March last year.

Mohamad Norza, 43, who was also a former Umno Supreme Council member, is accused of giving a bribe of RM1,500 to Khadri through Halimi to be distributed to the delegates as an inducement to vote for him in the contest for a seat in the Umno Supreme Council at the last Umno General Assembly.

He also faces another charge of giving a bribe of RM1,900 to Mohammad Anuar Yunus through Halimi for the same purpose.

Both charges are alleged to have been committed at 6.30 pm on Jan 20, 2009 at No. 38, Pinggiran Tasik, Taman Bandar Temerloh, here.

Halimi, 47, from Bandar Indera Mahkota, Kuantan is being charged on two counts of giving bribes to Khadri and Mohammad Anuar on behalf of Mohamad Norza at the same time, date and place.

Hearing was adjourned to Feb 19.