Zahid’s graft case postponed after Covid infections at lawyer’s office

Submissions at the end of the prosecution for former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s corruption case involving Yayasan Akalbudi funds, scheduled at the Kuala Lumpur High Court tomorrow, have been postponed to Aug 24.

Zahid’s lawyer Hamidi Mohd Noh, when contacted by Bernama today, said the hearing was postponed due to the temporary closure of his office after several staff there tested positive for Covid-19.

“I made the application (to postpone the proceedings) to the court on Aug 2 because of the difficulty in accessing the trial documents at the office. The court has allowed the postponement,” he said.

Deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran, who leads the prosecution team, confirmed the postponement.

The hearing before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah was previously fixed for six days on Aug 5, 6, 9, 11, 13 and 24.

On March 19, the prosecution closed the case after calling 99 witnesses to testify.

Zahid, 68, is facing 47 charges – 12 on criminal breach of trust, eight on corruption and 27 on money laundering – involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.