(National Express Malaysia) - Businessman Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Maidin revealed in the High Court today that former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had told him he could not claim reimbursement for money paid for seven million shares in Realmild Sdn Bhd because they belonged to Umno.

“I was told by the prime minister of this country that the shares do not belong to me, that I had to transfer them out,” Abdul Rahman responded when asked why he did not take any legal action against the previous shareholders to get back his money.

The prime minister at the time the bargain was struck in 1999 was Dr Mahathir.

Abdul Rahman was defending himself today in a civil suit launched by former Realmild director Datuk Khalid Ahmad to gain the second half of a RM10 million payment of five per cent of the company’s shares.

Realmild is the shadowy company behind conglomerate Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) in the last two decades.

Abdul Rahman said he was presented with two conflicting views as to the real owner of the shares he had bought and that it was Khalid’s word against that of Dr Mahathir’s, who was the premier.

“So obviously I had to believe the prime minister. To do anything at all would be to implicate him and to drag the prime minister in question… I’d rather take a loss and do nothing at all,” he said.

“The prime minister told me so and the economic adviser confirmed it. I can’t believe otherwise, right?” he shot back when asked if he believed “100 per cent” in the PM’s words.

Abdul Rahman explained that he met Dr Mahathir to seek clarification over how to claim back money spent to acquire some seven million Realmild shares.

“I had been deprived of RM40 million on the belief it was going to be mine and then one year later, I was told it’s not going to be mine. I wanted the prime minister’s view,” he said.

“He said I shouldn’t be paid because the shares did not belong to anyone other than Umno and as such, he was not going to pay me,” the 64-year-old said.

Abdul Rahman, a former MRCB chairman and executive vice-chairman of media giant NSTP Berhad, had paid the sum to all four Realmild directors for the shares.

To Datuk Ahmad Nazri Abdullah, who was the majority shareholder with an 80 per cent stake, Abdul Rahman paid RM30 million.

The remainder was paid out to Datuk Kadir Jasin, Mohd Noor Mutalib and Khalid.

Abdul Rahman was the third witness called to testify today.

Earlier, the High Court heard from Realmild’s company secretary Ahmad Hady Shahrom and Tan Sri Syed Anwar Jamalullail, brother to the Raja of Perlis and a former Realmild director who had taken over the shares from Abdul Rahman.