Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi - file pic
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): An investigating officer told the High Court here that he found it strange that there were no documents of contributions made by Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s Yayasan Akalbudi to Yayasan Al-Falah - chaired by his brother - Datuk Seri Mohamad Nasaee Ahmad Tarmizi over the purchase of two bungalow lots in Country Heights, Kajang.
Mohd Tharuzi Mohd Nor, 40, said he did not find any documents such as cash transactions and donation receipts during the investigation into the case.
He said this during re-examination by Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Sazilee Abdul Khairi, on the 48th day of the trial against Ahmad Zahid on Monday (March 8).
The former deputy premier faces charges of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving millions of ringgit of Yayasan Akalbudi funds.
Ahmad Sazilee: Is it (the process of donating the two lots of bungalows) something strange?
Mohd Tharuzi: It is strange indeed.
The 94th prosecution witness said based on his investigation into the purchase of two property units in Country Heights, the RM5.9mil had been allegedly paid by Yayasan Al-Falah to Bee Garden Holdings Sdn Bhd (the original owner of the units) using the cheque issued by Messrs Lewis & Co (Lewis & Co), which is the trustee of Yayasan Akalbudi belonging to Ahmad Zahid.
He added that from his observations at the end of 2020 and last week, the gates of the two bungalows remained closed.
Mohd Tharuzi said his investigation also found that Ahmad Zahid had received a total of seven cheques amounting to RM5mil from Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services, and one cheque for RM2mil from an individual named Mubarak Hussain.
He said all cheques were deposited into Lewis & Co’s account.
"The RM7mil was then used to buy two fixed deposit certificates amounting to RM5mil and RM2mil.
"Ahmad Zahid then ordered B. Muralidharan (partner at Lewis & Co) for the two fixed deposits to be uplifted.
"Of the RM7,019,680.07 (uplifted including interest), RM5.9mil was issued and paid to Bee Garden Holdings for the purchase of two bungalow lots, while the rest was turned once again into a fixed deposit certificate," he said when reading his witness statement while showing a chart of the money trail to the court.
Meanwhile, 95th witness Mohd Fahmee Mohamad Nor, 39, an investigating officer from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said that money changer Omar Ali, an individual accused of laundering money on behalf of Ahmad Zahid, did not report transactions of converting cash into cheques worth RM7.5mil to Bank Negara Malaysia.
"The money received by Omar Ali was converted into 35 cheques. Omar Ali's friends, who wished to exchange, whether it be foreign currency, will get the currency by paying for it using a blank cheque," he said when answering a question from Deputy Public Prosecutor Harris Ong Mohd Jeffrey Ong during the examination-in-chief.
Earlier, when reading his witness statement, Moh Fahmee said the 35 cheques totalling RM7.5mil from five banks were credited into Lewis & Co’s account.
Ahmad Zahid, 68, is facing 47 charges, 12 of which were for criminal breach of trust, eight for corruption and 27 for money laundering involving millions of ringgit of Yayasan Akalbudi funds.
The trial before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues on Tuesday (March 9). - Bernama
