SHAH ALAM: Former home minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will know on Sept 23 whether he is to enter his defence on 40 charges of receiving bribes from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) to extend its foreign visa system (VLN) contract.
High Court judge Yazid Mustafa informed the prosecution and defence of the date today after hearing oral submissions since Sept 1.
“I am fixing it for a Friday (Sept 23) because that is the day I usually deliver rulings,” he said.
Yazid also ordered the prosecution and the defence to put their oral submissions in writing and submit them to the court by Sept 13.
The prosecution closed its case after calling 18 witnesses. The trial began on May 24 last year and lasted 33 days.
The prosecution has also offered Zahid’s legal team a list of 27 witnesses should his defence be called.
Included in the list are former immigration director-general Mustafar Ali, who is also the current head of the National Financial Crime Centre. He also served in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Others include Chong Kian Leong @ Raymond, a director in Hong Kong company Maintech System HK Ltd, and Fong Mee Yee, a director at Visa Malaysia Ltd Hong Kong.
Zahid, who is also the Umno president and Bagan Datuk MP, is facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from UKSB as the then home minister to extend the firm’s contract as the operator of the one-stop centre in China and the VLN system as well as to maintain the contract agreement for the supply of the VLN integrated system.
The principal charges are framed under the MACC Act while the alternative charge comes under the Penal Code.
He is also accused of another seven counts, under the Penal Code, of obtaining for himself S$1.15 million, RM3 million, 15,000 Swiss francs and US$15,000 from the same company in connection with his official duties.
All the offences are said to have been committed at Seri Satria in Precinct 16, Putrajaya, and at Country Heights in Kajang between October 2014 and March 2018. - FMT
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