Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
PUTRAJAYA: There was no embezzlement of the Akalbudi Foundation fund and whatever problems that arose were due to a misunderstanding, said Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said it was due to a mistake by his officer who should have used his personal account to pay for his credit cards and also those of his wife.
He said there were some confusion that resulted in the funds from the foundation’s account to be used for the purpose.
”However, I have settled all the payments using my own savings in 2016 and I have submitted the receipts for the payments, including a photocopy of the cheque payment made in 2016,” he told reporters after giving his statement for nearly seven hours at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office here yesterday.
“MACC has recorded my statement. There was no element of embezzlement of funds from my family-owned
foundation.
“What the foundation does is all related to charity and welfare, such as building mosques, tahfiz centre, orphanage, surau and activities for the poor,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid , who is former deputy prime minister, was reported to have spent about RM800,000 from the foundation’s fund to settle his credit card payments between 2014 and 2015.
On Monday, he was at the MACC office, reportedly for nine hours, to give a statement on the commission’s investigation pertaining to 1Malaysia Development Berhad. — Bernama