COMMENT | On Sept 23 last year, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was full of praise for the High Court which acquitted him of 40 bribery charges in the foreign visa system trial.

Walking out of the courtroom, he said justice had been served even though he had already been punished beforehand in the court of public opinion.

“From the very first day until the decision, I remained confident that the law and its execution has been scrutinised thoroughly by the judge. Today, we have witnessed that the law has been upheld for the sake of justice and I am grateful,” he told reporters as he left the courthouse.

Since then, he successfully defended his Bagan Datuk seat in the 15th general election; joined Harapan to form a government; and was appointed deputy prime minister.

Fast forward to...