Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said his acquittal of bribery charges related to the Foreign Visa System (VLN) case today vindicated him after long being subjected to public ridicule.
"I have been humiliated based on how (some) perceive (the case). I was punished by the court of public opinion.
"Praise be to God, this Friday, the justice system has upheld the truth," he told reporters after he was cleared of all charges against him this morning.
Zahid also credited BN and Umno's "struggle" for his acquittal.
"As the BN (chairperson) and Umno president, (this verdict) is the success of BN and Umno's struggle," he said.
Zahid was accompanied by about 100 supporters at the Shah Alam High Court.
Unreliable witnesses
Shah Alam High Court judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case and its three key witnesses were unreliable.
Zahid was charged with 33 counts of receiving bribes from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) amounting to SG$13.56 million (RM43.6 million) between 2014 and 2017.
Another seven charges accused Zahid of obtaining SG$1.15 million, RM3.125 million, 15,000 Swiss francs (RM70,000) and US$15,000 (RM68,000) from the same company.
Zahid was accused of receiving bribes to extend UKSB's contract to operate the one-stop centre (OSC) service in China and the VLN system, as well as to maintain its contract with the Home Ministry to supply the VLN integrated system.
The charges were framed under Section 16 (a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009, which provides for a maximum of 20 years in jail and a fine of not less than five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
The Bagan Datuk MP also pleaded not guilty to 33 alternative charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code, where he was charged in his capacity as a home minister with receiving bribes amounting to SG$13.56 million over the VLN system between 2014 and 2017.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.