Zahid's graft trial postponed as witness down with Covid

The Shah Alam High Court today postponed to Friday the hearing of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s corruption case over the foreign visa system (VLN) after being informed that the last prosecution witness has been infected with Covid-19.

Deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran told judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa that he was informed by the 18th witness, a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer, about the matter late yesterday.

"We were informed late yesterday that the investigating officer tested positive for Covid-19. So we couldn't call him today.

"We request that the hearing date for this week be maintained... if the witness recovers and tests negative, we want to call the witness to appear on July 29," he said.

Raja Rozela, who is leading the prosecution team, also asked for the August trial dates to be maintained so that the proceedings could continue.
 
"Many trial dates have been set. We have a few more this August. If there are no obstacles, the trial can continue on those dates," he said.

The court had set Aug 10, 11, 12 and 24 for the trial dates.

Raja Rozela was assisted by deputy public prosecutors Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Abdul Malik Ayob and Zander Lim Wai Keong, while Zahid was represented by lawyers Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, Ahmad Zaidi Zainal and Hamidi Mohd Noh.

Zahid faces 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from UKSB as an inducement for himself in his capacity as a civil servant and home minister at the time to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the one-stop centre in China and the VLN system, as well as to maintain the agreement to supply VLN integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the home ministry.

On another seven counts, Zahid was charged as home minister with obtaining for himself S$1,150,000, RM3 million, 15,000 Swiss francs and US$15,000 in cash from the same company in connection with his official work.

He was charged with committing these offences at Seri Satria, Presint 16, Putrajaya, and Country Heights, Kajang, between October 2014 and March 2018.