KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told the High Court that Pakatan Harapan government carried out politically-motivated selective prosecution against him and more than 20 Barisan Nasional politicians after the 14th General Election in 2018.
The Umno president said this on the stand during the re-examination by his lawyer Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Zainal in his Yayasan Akalbudi trial here on Monday (Aug 29).
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He said that he had realised that he would be criminally charged in court after Barisan failed to form a government on May 9, 2018.
The former deputy prime minister added that at the same time the prosecution had withdrawn the cases against 15 political leaders from Pakatan, the coalition that took over the government.
"Among them were Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, Sungai Buloh MP R. Sivarasa and former PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli,” said Ahmad Zahid.
"Meanwhile, I, along with Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and 18 more were hauled to court. If this is not political prosecution, I don't know what is,” he added.
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Ahmad Zahid is on trial for 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 Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB).
The hearing continues before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
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