Zul Hisham Zainal testified to the Kuala Lumpur High Court that he lobbied and secured RM1.3 million in funding from his father-in-law Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for the Royal Malaysian Police Football Association (PDRM FA) but did not know its source.
Zul Hisham (photo, above) was being cross-examined by Zahid's lawyer Rosal Azimin Ahmad in Zahid's graft case involving the alleged misused of funds belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi, a foundation the former home minister and deputy prime minister had founded.
Zul Hisham, who is a businessperson, said he had since 2014 acted behind the scenes for PDRM FA, to among others, secure funding, and was eventually appointed as the team's manager in 2017.
He said that in 2015, then PDRM FA assistant secretary Mohd Nizam Mohd Noor had approached him for help with salary arrears for players and also the football association's management.
"I then informed Zahid about the request from PDRM FA. Subsequently, I received a letter containing a cheque from Yayasan Akalbudi's staff.
"I then contacted Nizam to hand over the cheque," said Zul Hisham, who was testifying as the 19th witness on the 11th day of the trial.
Zul Hisham was also asked by deputy public prosecutor Nur Aishah Maulat Ahmad Zakiuddin to identify and confirm the Affin Bank cheque dated November 19, 2015, amounting to RM1.3 million, which he handed to Nizam.
Even though the money originated from Yayasan Akalbudi, Zul Hisham said he had no knowledge about the organisation.
"It was only recently that I found out that one of the directors in Yayasan Akalbudi was my father-in-law Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
"Throughout my time as his son-in-law, I never knew my father-in-law had Yayasan Akalbudi or any other foundations," he said.
However, he acknowledged that he had heard "rumours" that Zahid's contributions to the local community in his parliamentary constituency of Bagan Datuk had come from Yayasan Akalbudi.
Meanwhile, Nizam was also called in as the 20th witness in the trial, during which he was asked to confirm depositing the RM1.3 million cheque for PDRM FA.
Nizam said Zul Hisham had acted as the facilitator between the football association and Zahid.
He added that the police football association was under the Home Ministry, which Zahid was leading.
Normally, PDRM FA will receive funds and sponsorship in the form of a cheque. Zul Hisham will inform PDRM FA when the cheque is ready which is made in the name of PDRM FA.
"However, if there are other companies that want to contribute, the cheques are made in the name of the National Sports Council so as to get tax exemption before the cheque is handed over to PDRM FA," he said.
Zahid is standing trial for 47 charges involving the alleged misused of the foundation's funds amounting to RM31 million.
Of the 42 charges, 12 are for criminal breach of trust, eight for corruption and 27 for money laundering. - Mkini
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