Court decides tomorrow whether to free Zahid in VLN case

A decision on whether Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will walk away or be ordered to enter his defence against 40 charges of corruption related to the foreign visa system (VLN) will be made known tomorrow.

High Court judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa is scheduled to deliver his decision at the end of the defence case at 9am.

If the decision favours the prosecution, Zahid, 69, will be called to enter his defence. Otherwise, the former deputy prime minister will be acquitted and discharged.

The prosecution is represented by deputy public prosecutors Raja Rozela Raja Toran, Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Abdul Malik Ayob, Zander Lim Wai Keong and B Thavani, while lawyers Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, Ahmad Zaidi Zainal and Hamidi Mohd Noh represent Zahid.

The prosecution closed its case on Aug 11 after calling 18 witnesses in the trial which began on May 24, 2021.
 
Among the prosecution witnesses called to testify were former home ministry secretary-general Alwi Ibrahim and three former Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) directors: Harry Lee Vui Khiun, Wan Quoris Shah Wan Abdul Ghani and David Tan Siong Sun.

On June 26, 2019, Zahid was charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with seven counts of corruption related to the VLN system. On July 31, the court allowed Zahid’s application to transfer the case to the Shah Alam Sessions Court for the case to be jointly heard with 33 other corruption charges against him, also in connection with the VLN.

All of the cases were then transferred to the Shah Alam High Court for hearing.

Zahid is alleged to have received bribes amounting to S$13.56 million from UKSB for himself as home minister, to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the OSC service in China and the VLN system as well as to maintain the contract agreement to supply the VLN integrated system to the same company by the home ministry.

He was charged with committing these the offences at Seri Satria, Precinct 16, Putrajaya, and Country Heights Kajang between October 2014 and March 2018. 
 
The 33 charges were framed under Section 16 (a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act which provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

The Bagan Datuk MP also pleaded not guilty to 33 alternative charges framed under Section 165 of the Penal Code, in which he was charged in his capacity as home minister with receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million in relation to the VLN system between 2014 and 2017.

For the other seven charges, he is alleged to have obtained for himself S$1,150,000, RM3.125 million, 15,000 Swiss francs and US$15,000 from the same company which he knew had a connection with his function as then home minister.

He was charged with committing the offences at a house in Country Heights, Kajang between June 2015 and October 2017.