Former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that the corruption, criminal breach of trust (CBT) and money laundering charges against him were politically motivated.

He said this was something that he and several other politicians in the country had to face.

Zahid said this during cross-examination by deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran in his defence trial on 47 charges: 12 of CBT, eight of corruption and 27 of money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.

Raja Rozela: Throughout the trial, there was no evidence submitted by the prosecution that could be tied to political motives other than the fact that you are a politician.

Zahid: Not on paper, but in hindsight, I know for sure that it is politically motivated.

Raja Rozela: Yesterday, you mentioned about the misappropriation of funds or CBT and you named three MPs in that context. When I heard that, I couldn’t help but think that politics and money seem to be inseparable, is it reasonable for me to say that?

Zahid: Every politician of any party needs money to carry out political activities. Money isn’t everything, but everything needs money.

The Bagan Datuk MP however disagreed with Raja Rozela’s suggestion that cases of corruption, graft and fraud were becoming rampant in the country.

Raja Rozela: So you haven’t read the recent article in The Wall Street Journal saying that Malaysia has been ranked the number one most corrupt country in the world? It’s sad. Have you read it, Datuk Seri?

Zahid: At a glance.

When asked whether there was any truth to the article, Zahid said: “The article was based on two elements, namely corruption and corruption perception, where I think perception was given more priority than the actual index.”

However, he agreed with Raja Rozela’s suggestion that corruption was still a concern.

Zahid also agreed with Raja Rozela’s suggestion that the country upholds the “rule of law” principle and that everyone, rich or poor, is equal before the law.

However, not for selected charges, he added.

Raja Rozela: I give an example, if a politician is accused of accepting bribes, among the defence given would be that the charge was a political conspiracy, but if the accused is a school gardener, there is no way the same defence can be used, do you agree?

Zahid: If the gardener is the division head or an office-bearer in a political party, the same thing will happen to him.

The trial before justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.