YAB trial: Zahid says prosecution trying to trap him by repeating questions

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

Zahid, 69, said this when deputy public prosecutor Harris Ong Mohd Jeffery Ong kept pushing for details on donations given to the foundation.

The former deputy prime minister had replied saying that it sufficed for him to only see the monthly bank statement and ledger which recorded the transfer of YAB 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 has the money been credited…putting this question to me repeatedly, is to trap me,” he said.

Harris Ong, however, told the court that the prosecution was just trying to seek justice and the facts needed to be presented for the court’s decision.

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

High court judge Datuk 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.

Earlier, Harris Ong referred Zahid to 11 cheques amounting to RM3.8 million from various individuals and corporate bodies as donations to YAB and the money was credited into a customer’s account at Messrs Lewis & Co.

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

On January 24 this year, the court ordered Zahid to enter his defence on 47 charges – 12 of them for breach of trust, eight charges for corruption and 27 money laundering charges involving tens of millions of ringgit of funds belonging to YAB.

The trial before judge Sequerah continues. – Bernama, July 7, 2022