KUALA LUMPUR – The prosecution in Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s trial today contended that he should never have used Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB) funds to pay the wages of the police football team – then known as PDRM FA, and now PDRM FC – as the players are not supposed to be categorised in the “poverty” group.
Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran said the players are all professionals, and the only issue they faced was unpaid salaries – a problem that the club itself could have resolved.
“It is a football club, not a non-governmental organisation that runs a soup kitchen or food bank.
“These players are professional players. Players are given wages; a shortfall of money doesn’t necessarily make one poor, it does not make one destitute. It does not fall under the category of poverty as stated or envisaged in the memorandum or objectives of the establishment of YAB.”
She said this in her submission at the end of the prosecution’s case against the former deputy prime minister, who faces 47 counts of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering involving YAB funds.
The objective of setting up the foundation was to accept and manage monies to eradicate poverty under its programme, she said.
The payment to the police football team was confirmed by 19th prosecution witness Datuk Zul Hisham Zainal, who is also Zahid’s son-in-law.
He testified that the donation was to pay players’ wages, and said he sought help from his father-in-law on this.
During the defence’s submission, Zahid’s lawyer Hamidi Mohd Noh said the RM1.3 million payment was meant to “eradicate poverty” among the football players.
Raja Rozela submitted that even civil servants should qualify for poverty aid from YAB as they do not get paid as much, suggesting that the club does not fit the “poverty” description.
Let’s forget about the footballers, and let’s look at civil servants. They don’t get much in terms of salary. By the first week of payday, half of the room would probably qualify as poor. They would easily qualify to receive ‘sumbangan’ (contributions) from YAB, courtesy of the accused.
“In this instance, the accused acted dishonestly when he misappropriated the RM1.3 million YAB cheque.”
The prosecution said Zahid treated the foundation’s funds as if they were his own, with 50 cheques issued between 2014 and 2016 from YAB’s account, involving a sum of RM13.1 million.
Raja Rozela said Zahid used more than RM13.1 million towards credit card payments, motor insurance policies, road tax, payment to the football club, payment to consultancy firm TS Consultancy & Resources, and loans to Armada Holdings Sdn Bhd.
She submitted that the accused used RM360,000 of YAB’s funds to pay TS Consultancy & Resources, which was set up to provide training and motivational courses, but in reality, was a Barisan Nasional political arm established to assist the pact in registering voters in certain areas.
She added that Zahid gave a RM10 million loan to Armada Holdings, with an agreement that the sum would be repaid to him within a month, with interest.
“The accused also used YAB funds to pay over RM1.3 million in his credit card bills for shopping sprees at luxury stores like Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton and Hermes, and used RM107,508.55 to pay road tax and insurance for 20 vehicles belonging to him and three others, namely his wife (Datin Seri Hamidah Khamis), BZ Motors and Juhari Janan, between January and September 2015.”
The 68-year-old Umno president’s charges are in relation to tens of millions of ringgit belonging to YAB.
The hearing before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow. – Bernama, October 13, 2021
