Zahid wants charges quashed

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has sent a letter of representation to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to drop 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering involving Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB) against him.

Lawyer Hamidi Mohd Noh, representing Ahmad Zahid, asked High Court judge Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, to adjourn yesterday’s proceedings pending a decision from Attorney General Tan Sri Idrus Harun.

Deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Abdul Malik Ayob said this at the High Court when confirming that the prosecution had received the representation letter from Ahmad Zahid’s team, which sought to have Ahmad Zahid’s charges quashed.

The YAB trial is currently at the defence stage and was supposed to resume hearing yesterday.

At the outset of the proceedings, Justice Sequerah was informed by counsel Hamidi that the defence had sent a more than 200-page representation letter directed to Idrus.

Hamidi requested for the trial to be postponed due to the latest development, pending the decision on the representation.

Plea: Ahmad Zahid has sent a letter of representation to the Attorney General’s Chambers to drop 47 charges involving Yayasan Akalbudi against him. — LOW BOON TAT/The Star

He said the prosecution did not object to the postponement.

Abdul Malik confirmed that the prosecution had received the lengthy representation letter, which he said contained “complex issues”.

He also confirmed that the prosecution was instructed not to object to a postponement.

Justice Sequerah then asked the DPP on the time it required to study and decide on the representation.

Abdul Malik replied that the AGC also received a letter from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), which was attached to the representation, that it would be conducting further investigation into the new issues raised by Ahmad Zahid’s defence.

He said the prosecution had not received any information on the investigation but it needed its outcome to decide on the representation.

“We do not know whether the investigation has begun or otherwise; however, to complete the entire process, we would require the result of the investigation,” Abdul Malik said.

Justice Sequerah then allowed the postponement.

He fixed Aug 1 for the parties to inform the court on the result of the representation.

Ahmad Zahid’s 47 charges include 12 for criminal breach of trust, eight charges for corruption and 27 for money laundering.

The charges involve tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi, a charitable foundation he founded.