Zahid's graft trial postponed again as witness still down with Covid

The hearing of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s corruption case over the foreign visa system (VLN) at the Shah Alam High Court, fixed for today, has been postponed to Aug 10 as the last prosecution witness is still testing positive for Covid-19.

At the proceedings today, deputy public prosecutor Abdul Malik Ayob told judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa that the witness, who is a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigating officer, was still positive for Covid-19 and would remain in quarantine until July 31.

"With your permission, we would like to request for the trial to be continued on the dates that have been set, which is Aug 10 to 12," he said.

Since there was no objection from Zahid's lawyer Hamidi Mohd Noh, the court postponed today's trial and fixed Aug 10 to 12 to continue the hearing.

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.