KUALA LUMPUR — UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court today to 10 counts of criminal breach of trust and eight counts of bribery involving RM42,083,132.99 and 27 counts of money-laundering involving RM72,063,618.15.
Ahmad Zahid, 65, who is the former deputy prime minister, had his plea recorded before Judge Azura Alwi after the charges were read out to him.
The court allowed the Bagan Datuk MP bail of RM2 million in one surety and ordered him to surrender his passport to the court pending disposal of the case.
The court ordered Ahmad Zahid to pay RM1 million of the bail amount today and the remainder before or on Oct 26.
It set Dec 14 for mention of the case.
Former Federal Court judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram, as senior DPP, led the prosecution team. He was assisted by DPPs Ahmad Akram Gharib; Mohamad Mustafa P. Kunyalam; T. Deepa Nair and Nadia Mohd Izhar.
Ahmad Zahid was represented by 12 lawyers led by Hisyam Teh Poh Teik. The other counsel included Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Zainal and Kitson Foong.
Meanwhile, several supporters of Ahmad Zahid tried to force themselves through the main gate of the courts complex but Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) policemen on guard thwarted their attempts.
The FRU manned the two gates of the complex.
A police source told Bernama that the security at the courts complex was under control.
The source advised Ahmad Zahid’s supporters to comply with the instructions of the police at the complex.
A red-shirted group led by UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam pacified the supporters and asked them to sit on the road leading to the entrance of the complex.
For the 10 charges of criminal breach of trust, Ahmad Zahid is accused of having committed criminal breach of trust of RM20,833,132.99 entrusted to him as a trustee of the Yayasan Akal Budi foundation.
He is alleged to have committed the offences at Affin Bank Berhad branch in Jalan Bunus, off Jalan Masjid India, here, between Jan 13, 2014, and Jan 11, 2016, under Section 409 of the Penal Code which provides for a jail term of between two and 20 years, and whipping, as well as the liability of being fined, upon conviction.
As for the eight charges of bribery, the 11th charge accuses Ahmad Zahid of having received a bribe from Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services, in the form of a Public Islamic Bank Berhad cheque for RM250,000 belonging to Jogabonito Jewellery & Diamonds through Junaith Asharab Md Shariff via a Maybank account of Lewis & Co.
The 12th charge accuses him of having received a bribe from Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services, in the form of 13 RHB Islamic Bank Berhad cheques for RM8 million belonging to Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services through Junaith Asharab Md Shariff via a Maybank account of Lewis & Co.
The 13th charge accuses Ahmad Zahid of having received a bribe from Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services, in the form of 10 RHB Islamic Bank Berhad cheques for RM5 million belonging to Berani & Jujur Trading through Junaith Asharab Md Shariff via a Maybank account of Lewis & Co.
Ahmad Zahid is accused of having committed these three offences as an inducement to assist Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services to secure MyEG projects handled by the Home Affairs Ministry.
For the 14th charge, the former home affairs minister is accused of having received a bribe from one Chew Ben Ben, a director of Data Sonic Group Berhad, in the form of a Maybank cheque for RM5 million belonging to Sarana Kencana Sdn Bhd via a Maybank account of Lewis & Co.
For the 15th charge, Ahmad Zahid is accused of having received a bribe from Chew in the form of a Maybank cheque for RM1 million belonging to Sarana Kencana via a Maybank account of Lewis & Co.
He is accused of having committed these offences as payment to him as the home affairs minister for the transactions with Data Sonic Technologies Sdn Bhd which has been appointed for the procurement of the additional supply of passport chips for five years or 12.5 million chips to be inserted into the Malaysian Biodata Polycarbonate Passport for the Department of Immigration in direct negotiation at the Home Affairs Ministry to Data Sonic Technologies.
For the 16th charge, he is accused of having received a bribe from one Azlan Shah Affril, a director of Profound Radiance Sdn Bhd, a Maybank cheque for RM300,000 belonging to Profound Radiance via a Maybank account of Lewis & Co.
For the 17th charge, Ahmad Zahid is accused of having received a bribe from Azlan Shah a Maybank checque for RM1 million belonging to Profound Radiance via a Maybank account of Lewis & Co.
For the 18th charge, he is accused of having received a bribe from Azlan Shah a Maybank cheque for RM700,000 belonging to Profound Radiance via a Maybank account of Lewis & Co.
Ahmad Zahid is accused of having these three offences as payment for himself as the home affairs minister to conduct any transactions with Profound Radiance as the operator of the one-stop centre service in Pakistan and Nepal, at the Home Affairs Ministry.
He is accused of having committed all the offences at the Maybank branch at Dataran Maybank in Jalan Maarof, Bangsar, between July 15, 2016, and March 15, 2018, under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 and is liable to be penalised under Section 24(1) of the same Act.
If convicted, he is liable to a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the bribe amount or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
