KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here was told that a cheque of RM300,000 presented to former Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has the words for the purpose of “consultation fee” crossed out and changed to “charity”.
The director of a visa processing company, Profound Radiance Sdn Bhd (PRSB), Azlan Shah Jaffril, 49, said he personally handed over the cheque over to Ahmad Zahid, who was then the Home Minister.
However, he said the words “consultation fee” written on the cheque was a mistake done by his employee.
“The donation was actually given for the purpose of charity,” he said during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Gan Peng Kun on the 18th day of Ahmad Zahid’s corruption trial involving millions of ringgit in Yayasan Akalbudi funds and passport chip supply contracts with several companies.
When asked whether anyone had instructed him to change the words to “charity”, the witness said no.
Gan said on the two other cheques worth RM1 million and RM700,000, the purpose was written as for “charity” and “political fund”, respectively.
Earlier, when reading his witness statement, Azlan Shah said he gave the three cheques on the name of Lewis & Co, the trustee of Yayasan Akalbudi to Ahmad Zahid by hand when he met him at three locations in Putrajaya, namely at the DPM’s Office, the Home Minister’s Office and at Seri Satria, the DPM’s official residence between Aug 2, 2017, and Feb 13, 2018.
Ahmad Zahid, 67, is facing 47 charges, with 12 of them for criminal breach of trust (CBT), eight for corruption and 27 for money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit of funds belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.
The trial before Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues on March 2. – Bernama