Yayasan Akalbudi: Court to hear Zahid's bid for total acquittal on Feb 24

The Kuala Lumpur High Court will hear Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s application for a total acquittal from 47 corruption charges involving Yayasan Akalbudi funds on Feb 24.

His lawyer Hisyam Teh Pok Teik confirmed the matter to Malaysiakini when contacted today.

He added that the matter was initially scheduled for a hearing before judge Nurulhuda Nur’aini Nor this morning, but it was pushed to a later date as the prosecution requested time to reply to some of Zahid’s submissions.

Hisyam further said that the application, in which Zahid sought a discharge and acquittal (DNA), was filed on Jan 28, along with a certificate of urgency, and that the prosecutor was named as a respondent.

The New Straits Times reported that the application was filed following the Attorney-General’s Chamber (AGC) statement on Jan 8, which declared no further action (NFA) on Zahid’s charges.

Zahid was granted discharge not amounting to an acquittal on Sept 4, 2023. At that time, the trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah was at the defence stage.

On Jan 8, the AGC said the MACC has carried out detailed investigations on Zahid’s case, which covers aspects related to the source of funds, methods of acquisition, and the use of the funds concerned in making the decision.

They then concluded the case by declaring it NFA, in line with the attorney-general’s powers and discretion under the Federal Constitution and relevant laws.

“After reviewing the entirety of the materials and new evidence obtained from the further investigations and assessment, this department, based on prosecutorial evaluation and consideration, found that the available evidence was insufficient to support the continuation of prosecution for all the charges,” AGC had said in a statement.

Zahid’s 47 charges

The Umno president was charged in 2018 and 2019 with 12 counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) under Section 409 of the Penal Code; eight bribery charges under Section 16(a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009 and 27 money laundering charges under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

For the CBT charges, Zahid was accused of having used Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds to make six payments for his personal credit card usage, insurance policy, licence for his personal vehicles, remittances to a law firm, and contributions to the Royal Malaysia Police Football Association.

The offences were allegedly perpetrated at an Affin Bank Berhad branch in Jalan Bunus off Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur, between Jan 13, 2014, and Dec 23, 2016.

Under Section 409 of the Penal Code, the CBT offences are punishable with a maximum jail term of 20 years, as well as whipping, and a fine.

In relation to the eight bribery charges, Zahid was purported to have accepted bribes from three firms - Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services, Datasonic Group Bhd, and Profound Radiance Sdn Bhd - as inducement for him, in his then capacity as home minister, to help the companies to secure MyEG projects, supply passport chips, and to be appointed the operator of the migrant visa one-stop centres in Pakistan and Nepal, respectively.

Laid under Section 16(a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009, the offences were allegedly committed at a Maybank branch at Dataran Maybank, in Jalan Maarof, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, between July 15, 2016, and March 15, 2018.

Regarding the 27 money laundering charges, the Bagan Datuk MP was alleged to have engaged in direct transactions involving income from illegal activities, between March 29, 2016, and April 11, 2018.

The offences were purportedly committed at Malayan Banking Berhad, Dataran Maybank branch, Level 1, Tower A, No 1 Jalan Maarof, Bangsar and Marhaba Enterprise Sdn Bhd, LG 1.15, Fahrenheit88, 179 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, between March 29, 2016, and April 11, 2018.

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