KUALA LUMPUR – The high court today accepted a major portion of a witness statement by Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s former press secretary in the former deputy prime minister’s corruption trial involving Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB) funds.
Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, however, said the court allowed the prosecution’s objection to three paragraphs, namely, the last line in paragraphs 17 and 22, and the whole of paragraph 18 to be removed from the witness statement of Datuk Fadzlette Othman Merican Idris Merican, who is the second defence witness.
“I find that the rest of the questions, (paragraphs) 16 until 30 (of the witness statement) relate to facts directly in the issue, which forms the core of the defence case and therefore, are not collateral matters under Section 153 of the Evidence Act 1950.
“With regard to paragraphs 16 and 17, I agree with the defence that the matters contained constitute a narrative introduction as to how the defence witness (Fadzlette) came to know the 90th prosecution witness, Zahid’s former executive secretary, Mazlina Mazlan @ Ramly,” he said.
On September 19, the prosecution objected to parts of the witness statement by Fadzlette on the grounds that they were irrelevant and inadmissible. – Bernama, September 21, 2022
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