[UPDATED] Zahid graft trial: prosecution objects to defence’s bid to discredit star witness

KUALA LUMPUR – The prosecution in Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's corruption trial today objected to parts of a defence witness statement in the high court today.

Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran made an application to the high court to reject parts of Zahid’s former press secretary, Major General (rtd) Datuk Fadzlette Othman Merican Idris Merican’s statement.

Raja Rozela said specific parts of her statement were meant to damage the credibility of a star prosecution witness in the trial.

The contentious parts involve paragraphs 16 to 31 of Fadzlette’s written statement that relates to Zahid’s former principal private secretary, Major Mazlina Mazlan @ Ramly.

“In the case before Your Lordship, Your Lordship has the benefit of the statements that are already before the court. As such by Your Lordship, you will be able to be in a position to rule that it should be excluded on the grounds of it being irrelevant or inadmissible on the grounds of collateral effects.

“In this case, what this witness is to read out in the statement, it is definitely in my humble submission, merely a collateral issue and a secondary fact which has no significant bearing to the facts in this case,” she said in her application to the judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

Zahid’s lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik then asked the court to give the defence team adequate time until tomorrow morning to respond to the prosecution’s application.

Sequerah then adjourned and the hearing will resume tomorrow morning.

In Zahid’s previous testimonies, he had said that Mazlina was “unprofessional” and “incompetent” in handling his personal payments.

Mazlina was previously tasked to manage Zahid's personal account and that of Yayasan Akalbudi.

Zahid also claimed that he had to pay for the alleged “carelessness” of others, including Mazlina, who admitted in court that she had made several mistakes when managing both accounts for Zahid.

Mazlina, who is the prosecution’s star witness, had testified that she was negligent in making payments which exceeded the amount required for Zahid’s credit cards using the foundation’s cheques.

Earlier in his testimony, Zahid had reiterated that the slew of criminal charges against him was the product of “political persecution” by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who was prime minister for the second time between May 2018 and March 2020.

Zahid added that criminal charges were only brought against him after Pakatan Harapan had won the general election in May 2018.

He claimed that Dr Mahathir had allegedly “threatened” him to dissolve Umno or risk the consequences.

Zahid, 69, is facing 47 charges – 12 charges of criminal breach of trust, eight charges of corruption, and 27 charges of money laundering – involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi. – The Vibes, September 19, 2022