RM17.9 million Bali hotel deal not stated in charge, irrelevant, says Zahid’s lawyer
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THE claim that RM17.9 million was misappropriated for the purchase of a luxury hotel in Bali, Indonesia, is merely a “narrative” by the prosecution, the Kuala Lumpur High Court heard today.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s lead lawyer, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, said the court should not pay any heed to this claim as it is not mentioned in the charge, making it “irrelevant”, “ridiculous” and “totally misplaced”.
“As far as the charge is concerned, there is no mention of Ri-Yaz Asset Sdn Bhd, or shares from Ri-Yaz chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Manaf, or Ri-Yaz group managing director Mohammad Shaheen Shah Mohd Sidek, or the purchase of a hotel in Bali, and no mention of sales of shares agreement.
“All the evidence adduced by Rashid and Shaheen Shah are irrelevant to the charge,” Hisyam submitted before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
He argued that his client’s sixth charge of criminal breach of trust is that the latter had transferred RM17.9 million from charity foundation Yayasan Akalbudi to trustee law firm Messrs Lewis & Co.
“The money was still under the control of the foundation when it was put in the law firm’s account.
“This (Bali hotel deal) is merely the prosecution’s narrative. We must go back to the four corners of the charge.”
Zahid, 68, is facing 47 charges – 27 for money laundering, 12 for criminal breach of trust and eight for corruption – involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.
Rashid, the 83rd prosecution witness, had earlier told the court that he had sought to sell off his shares because the company had faced difficulties in repaying a US$24.8 million (RM103 million) loan from EXIM Bank for the purchase of a hotel in Bali, Indonesia.
Deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran had also mentioned that the interested buyer was Zahid’s daughter, Nurul Hidayah, and asked how running a boutique hotel will help eradicate poverty in Malaysia.
The trial is expected to resume on November 22, after Zahid returns from his medical treatment in Munich, Germany. – October 20, 2021.