Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had to attend the weekly Wednesday cabinet meeting today, leading to the postponement of his corruption trial linked to Yayasan Akalbudi.
The BN president’s counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik confirmed that they had applied for the trial date to be vacated.
“Zahid had to attend a cabinet meeting, so the court allowed today (trial) to be taken off. We will continue tomorrow,” the lawyer told the media at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex in Jalan Duta this morning.
Zahid’s former executive secretary Rosiah Osman, 71, is expected to resume her testimony for the defence tomorrow.
Yesterday, Bernama reported that the seventh defence witness testified that Zahid had used his personal credit cards first to purchase donation items for a mosque as part of Yayasan Akalbudi’s charitable activities.
Rosiah said the purchases were then reimbursed from Yayasan Akalbudi funds, and that Zahid’s credit cards were used to purchase carpets, fans, and air conditioners as donations to the mosque because the foundation did not have a credit card.
Zahid is facing 47 charges, namely 12 criminal breach of trust, eight corruption, and 27 money laundering charges involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to the foundation.
Court of Appeal judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah is hearing the case in his capacity as High Court judge (he was elevated earlier this year while he was still hearing the case against Zahid at the Kuala Lumpur High Court).
On Jan 24 last year, Sequerah ordered Zahid to enter his defence in the case.
For the CBT charges, the Bagan Datuk MP was accused of having used the funds to make six payments for his personal credit cards usage, insurance policy and licence for his personal vehicles, remittances to a law firm, and contributions to the Royal Malaysia Police Football Association.
The offences were allegedly perpetrated at an Affin Bank Berhad branch in Jalan Bunus off Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur, between Jan 13, 2014, and Dec 23, 2016.
Under Section 409 of the Penal Code, the CBT offences are punishable with a maximum jail term of 20 years, as well as whipping, and a fine.
In relation to the eight bribery charges, Zahid was purported to have accepted bribes from three firms - Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services, Datasonic Group Bhd and Profound Radiance Sdn Bhd - as inducement for him, in his then capacity as home minister, to help the companies to secure MyEG projects, supply passport chips, and to be appointed the operator of the migrant visa one-stop centres in Pakistan and Nepal, respectively.
Laid under Section 16(a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009, the offences were allegedly committed at a Maybank branch at Dataran Maybank, in Jalan Maarof, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, between July 15, 2016, and March 15, 2018.
In regard to the 27 money laundering charges, the Zahid was alleged to have engaged in direct transactions involving income from illegal activities, between March 29, 2016, and April 11, 2018.
The offences were purportedly committed at Malayan Banking Berhad, Dataran Maybank branch, Level 1, Tower A, No 1 Jalan Maarof, Bangsar and Marhaba Enterprise Sdn Bhd, LG 1.15, Fahrenheit88, 179 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, between March 29, 2016, and April 11, 2018.
During the prosecution stage of the trial that ran from late 2019 to 2021, 99 witnesses were called to testify - including Zahid’s former special officer Wan Ahmad Wan Omar as well as the accused’s former executive secretary Mazlina Mazlan@Ramly.
Other notable witnesses that took the stand for the prosecution were B Muralidharan, a partner of legal firm Lewis & Co, and money changer Omar Ali Abdullah. - Mkini
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