The Court of Appeal has given the Attorney-General (AG) until Sept 9 to decide whether to proceed or withdraw an appeal to overturn Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's acquittal in the foreign visa system (VLN) corruption case.
A three-person appellate bench chaired by Hadhariah Syed Ismail reminded the prosecution who was still mulling whether to accept the deputy prime minister's two letters of representation.
The first representation was sent to the Attorney-General's Chambers in January last year, and the second one last month.
Hadhariah told deputy public prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar that any representation sent must finally have an answer, with today being set for a hearing of the prosecution's appeal to reverse Zahid's acquittal.
The appellate court allowed Zahid's defence team’s bid to adjourn the hearing so that prosecutors could peruse through the representations, with Dusuki saying they had no objection to the adjournment bid.
As fellow appellate bench member judges Azman Abdullah and SM Komathy looked on from the bench this morning, Dusuki said prosecutors needed ample time to peruse Zahid's representations and study the matter.
Hadhariah then reminded parties that the appellate bench had spent a few days perusing through thousands of pages of appeal records as well as parties' written submissions on the VLN appeal, which she described as voluminous, for today's hearing which got postponed.
Earlier today, defence counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik told the court that among the other reasons they sought the adjournment was due to Zahid having a 12pm meeting today where the rural and regional development minister would be chairing the ministerial meeting.
Zahid's co-defence counsel Hamidi Mohd Noh added that the adjournment was sought because the defence team just received the prosecution's written appeal submissions on Thursday last week, and needed more time to peruse the prosecutors' extensive written submissions.
Zahid’s charges
The prosecutors are appealing against the Shah Alam High Court decision in 2022 to grant a discharge amounting to an acquittal (DAA) to Zahid over 40 graft charges linked to VLN.
Via the appeal, the prosecution seeks for the minister to be ordered to enter his defence.
He claimed trial to 33 counts of receiving bribes amounting to SG$13.56 million (RM43.6 million) from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd for himself as then home minister, to extend the company’s contract as operator of a one-stop centre service in China and the VLN system, as well as to maintain its contract with the home ministry to supply the integrated system.
According to the charges, Zahid was accused of committing the offences at Seri Satria, Precinct 16, Putrajaya and Country Heights, Kajang, between October 2014 and March 2018.
For the remaining seven charges, he was purported to have obtained for himself cash of SG$1,150,000, RM3 million, 15,000 Swiss francs (RM70,000) and US$15,000 (RM68,000) from the same firm, in which prosecutors claimed he knew was related with his official functions.
Zahid was purported to have committed the offences at a house in Country Heights, Kajang, between June 2015 and October 2017.
He also pleaded not guilty to 33 alternative counts under Section 165 of the Penal Code, where he was charged in his capacity as then home minister with receiving bribes of S$13.56 million linked to the VLN system, between 2014 and 2017. - Mkini
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