Zahid trial: MACC probe found Akalbudi funds used for electoral survey

 

Funds from Yayasan Akalbudi were used for an electoral survey, an MACC officer told the court during Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's corruption trial today.

Graft buster Khairudin Kilau said based on documents and witnesses’ testimonies, a payment of RM360,000 was made to TS Consultancy & Resources (TS Consultancy) to survey and analyse voters.

"The company's owners Jasni Majid and Sabri Said confirmed that TS consultancy was founded in 2015 (and also carried out) a voter registration programme on the field with Umno, and during the early stages received funds from Umno offices," Khairudin said.

Jasni had previously testified on Dec 2019 to have received two cheques from Yayasan Akalbudi totalling RM360,000 for a voter registration campaign, and cooperation with Umno.

Zahid is the owner, founder, trustee and sole signatory of Yayasan Akalbudi.

Both Jasni and Sabri had said they were unaware when Zahid's lawyers tried to suggest the funds were meant to print Qurans.

Khairudin today said the cheques totalling RM360,000 were handed over once by a former adviser to Zahid, and another time by a special officer.

Khairudin was the 99th witness in Zahid's trial over the alleged misappropriation of Yayasan Akalbudi funds.

Other highlights of his testimony:

• When seeking documents from Yayasan Akalbudi, he had gone to the foundation's address in Jalan Raja Abdullah as per the Companies' Commission records but found that Yayasan Akalbudi never had an office there.
  
  
• MACC investigations found no evidence that law firm Lewis & Co were trustees for the foundation as suggested by the defence. Instead, it was found that the law firm had "no connection" with Yayasan Akalbudi, but were instead clients of Yayasan Al-Falah, which is chaired by Zahid and his brother. The two foundations have no official links.
  
  
• Khairudin confirmed that on May 28, 2018, some RM9.3 million was transferred from Yayasan Akalbudi to Yayasan Al-Falah for "unclear purposes". He did not find any meeting minutes or resolutions pertaining to the transfer. - Mkini