Zahid trial: Defence objects to 7 paragraphs in investigating officer's statement

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today postponed Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's corruption trial after the defence objected to seven paragraphs in the witness statement of an MACC officer who investigated the case.

Lead defence counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik raised his objection when Fairul Rafiq Hamirudin, who is the 89th witness in the trial, started to read out his statement to the court.

Hisyam claimed that the paragraphs numbered 20, 27, 29, 33, 34, 35 and 37 were purportedly Fairul's "personal opinion", hearsay and are prejudicial to the defence.

"It is up for My Lord to determine whether there are such elements (as stated in the paragraphs), it is not for the witness to make his own conclusion and opinion," the lawyer said.

For the record, Fairul had yet to read the paragraphs in question to the court, and thus they can not be published. The defence's objection came as they have already studied the statement which was made available to them beforehand.

However, deputy public prosecutor Gan Peng Kun refuted Hisyam's argument, saying that Fairul's statement was based on the witness' findings during his investigation.

Fairul was in charge of the probe which is now the subject matter of three of the 47 charges that Zahid is facing today. The 47 criminal charges against the politician include 12 criminal breaches of trust involving Akalbudi Foundation, eight gratification charges and 27 money laundering.

Based on his charge sheet, the charges related to Fairul's testimony concern a RM2,000,000 bribe that Zahid had allegedly received from Profound Radiance Sdn Bhd director Azlan Shah Jaffril in 2017 and 2018.

The bribe was allegedly paid using three cheques issued between Aug 3, 2017, and March 15, 2018, as gratification for appointing the company to handle a government project.

Following his objection, Hisyam suggested to judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah that Fairul continues his statement by omitting the disputed paragraphs.

This suggestion was objected to by deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran, who told the court that this would leave Fairul's testimony with holes.

She then suggested that a hearing is conducted for the lawyers to submit on the disputed paragraphs.

Sequerah then adjourned the trial to tomorrow, where a fresh witness would be called pending submission on Fairul's witness statement scheduled this Friday.

Meanwhile, earlier during the trial today, another witness who served as one of the directors at a company called Chia Bee Enterprise Sdn Bhd testified that he had no idea about the company having paid RM10 million to law firm Lewis & Co in 2016.

For the record, Lewis & Co was a trustee of Akalbudi, which Zahid founded.

Wong Hee Sing told the court that he only became a "nominee director" for the company since June 5, 2008, on the request of another Chia Bee director, Wong Sang Woo. According to Hee Sing, Sang Woo is a Singaporean and is also known as Paul Wong.

"I have no role whatsoever in Chia Bee. I was not even a signatory for the company's account since the day I was appointed until today," he testified. -Mkini