Prosecution to cross-examine Zahid in graft trial

After several days of taking the stand to defend himself in a corruption case involving Yayasan Akalbudi funds, former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will now be cross-examined by the prosecution.

High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah ordered for the cross-examination to proceed on June 29 as he did not want the trial to be delayed.

“My (trial) dates are at a premium. We carry on,” said the judge.

Zahid’s counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik had asked for the cross-examination to be postponed pending the hearing of a stay application fixed for July 7.

But Sequerah said he could not allow the stay of the proceedings until he had made a decision on the stay application.

Hisyam then requested for the stay application to be heard on June 29, saying there must be a complete defence before the cross-examination to give his client a fair trial.

Deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran objected to hearing the application, saying the prosecution was not prepared as it had been been fixed for July 7. Raja Rozela also said they needed time to file their affidavit-in-reply.

Sequerah meanwhile said he needed to balance the demands of both sides and ordered the prosecution to file its affidavit this week, while bringing forward the hearing date to July 4.

Zahid filed the application to stay his defence proceedings pending a decision by the Court of Appeal on his appeal to obtain copies of the recorded statements of defence witnesses from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

According to the supporting affidavit filed with the application, Zahid said he was advised by his lawyer to obtain copies of the recorded statement” to ensure “corroboration” between his testimony and theirs, so as not to jeopardise his right to a fair trial.

The witnesses include his daughter Nurulhidayah, his brother Mohamad Nasaee Ahmad Tarmizi and businessman Khalid Mohamad Jiwa.

On May 9, the High Court dismissed Zahid’s application to obtain the recorded statements of 15 witnesses from the MACC on the grounds that it could expose the witnesses to intimidation, like being threatened to give evidence that would be different from what was in the recorded statement.

Zahid is making his defence on 47 charges: 12 of criminal breach of trust, eight of corruption, and 27 of money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.