SHAH ALAM: Former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was charged in the Sessions Court today with 33 counts of having accepted bribes totalling RM42.76 million from a company over the overseas visa system, raising to 40 the number of such charges brought against him.
Ahmad Zahid, 66, who is the former home minister, pleaded not guilty to all the charges which were read out to him before Judge Rozilah Salleh.
Yesterday, he had pleaded not guilty in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to seven counts of having accepted bribes totalling SGD4.24 million from a company, also over the overseas visa system.
For 26 of the charges brought against him today, Ahmad Zahid, who is the UMNO president, is alleged to have received bribes totalling SGD9,320,000 from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd as an inducement for him as a public officer, that is the home minister, for having extended the company’s contract as the operator of the One Stop Centre (OSC) in China and the overseas visa system and allegedly for the home ministry to retain the contract to supply the integrated visa system to the same company.
The offences were alleged to have been committed at 389, Jalan Bayu Nyaman, Country Heights, Kajang, between Oct 2014 and July 2017.
–BERNAMA
