Graft case against me due to refusal to dissolve Umno in 2018, Zahid tells court

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court heard that the prosecution against Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was due to his refusal to dissolve Umno in 2018.

The Umno president, who is taking the stand in his Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB) defence trial, testified that the case against him resulted from a "threat" from former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the party's dissolution.

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"If I did not do so, something would happen to me," Ahmad Zahid said during the re-examination by his lawyer Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Zainal here on Monday (Aug 29).

When asked to clarify, the former deputy prime minister said the threat from Dr Mahathir was not specific to YAB - the subject matter in the charges against him - but it was on his party position as the Umno president.

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"Of course, the investigation and the charges against me that came after were due to the threat," he added.

This is the second time Ahmad Zahid has made similar allegations against Dr Mahathir.

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On June 28, he made a similar statement from the witness stand that Dr Mahathir had told him to dissolve Umno in a meeting in June 2018, after the 14th General Election because "the party had no future".

He claimed that Dr Mahathir wanted him to bring over all Umno members to join Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.

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Ahmad Zahid is facing 47 charges – 12 for criminal breach of trust (CBT), eight for corruption and 27 for money laundering – involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to YAB.

The hearing continues on Tuesday (Aug 30) before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.