SHAH ALAM: The High Court here today fixed 23 days from Oct 12 to hear the corruption trial of former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in relation to the foreign visa system (VLN)
Judge Noorin Badaruddin set the dates for the hearing, in which Zahid, 66, is charged with 40 counts of receiving bribes. He also faces 33 alternative charges.
Following an application, the court ordered all the charges to be read out to Zahid again today. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Noorin also allowed an application by DPP Raja Rozela Raja Toran for all the charges to be heard together.
Zahid was represented by lawyers Hisyam Teh Poh Teik and Hamidi Mohd Noh.
On June 26 last year, Zahid pleaded not guilty in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to seven counts of accepting bribes, involving more than S$4.24 million, from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd as an inducement to extend the company’s contract as the operator of the VLN system and One-Stop Centre (OSC) in China.
He was charged with committing the offences at Seri Satria in Precinct 16, Putrajaya, between March 2017 and March 2018.
On June 27, Zahid was slapped with 33 more charges of accepting bribes amounting to RM42.76 million from a company linked to the VLN system.
On the 33 alternative charges, Zahid was charged in his capacity as the home affairs minister and a civil servant with receiving S$13.56 million in connection with the implementation of the VLN system between 2014 and 2017. - FMT
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