Prosecution trying to trap me - Zahid tells court

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is making his defence on corruption charges involving Yayasan Akalbudi funds, told the court today that the prosecution was trying to trap him by repeating questions on the same issue.

The former deputy prime president said this when deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Harris Ong Mohd Jeffery Ong kept pushing for details on donations given to the foundation.

Zahid replied by saying that it sufficed for him to only see the monthly bank statement and ledger which recorded the transfer of Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds into the client's account at the law firm of Messrs Lewis & Co, which was entrusted to manage the fund.

“The donation was not made in my name, but to a foundation, and if the foundation is managed by a law firm and it is clear the donation had been credited, it is immoral to ask who the giver is or if the money has been credited… putting this question to me repeatedly, is to trap me,” he said.

Harris, however, told the court that the prosecution was just trying to seek justice and the facts needed to be presented so that it could be decided by the court.

Zahid’s lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik was not satisfied with the explanation, saying that the prosecution could bring up the matter during submission.

High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah later chipped in and asked the DPP to continue with his questions.

When asked a similar question by the DPP, the Bagan Datuk MP told the court that there were three different dates and it was impossible for him to remember.

“I was not shown the original cheques, but there was a monthly statement that matched the ledger,” he said.

11 cheques

Earlier, Harris referred Zahid to 11 cheques amounting to RM3.8 million from various individuals and corporate bodies for donation to Yayasan Akalbudi and the money was credited into a customer's account at Lewis & Co.

Zahid said he did not know who the owners of the cheques were as he had never seen the cheques physically.

On Jan 24, the court ordered Zahid to enter his defence on 47 charges with 12 of them for breach of trust, eight for corruption and 27 money laundering charges involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.

The trial before Sequerah continues.

- Bernama