KUALA LUMPUR: It was a day of shock and surprises at courts here today with Umno President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi freed of all corruption charges involving the foreign visa contract (VLN), and Baling member of parliament Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim acquitted in another court.
The Shah Alam high court in the biggest decision involving the former deputy prime minister, freed Zahid of all 40 corruption charges while in the Jalan Duta courts, Azeez was given a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) in all of his corruption cases.
The Baling member of parliament was facing three corruption charges involving RM5.2 million and 10 money laundering offences involving RM13.9 million.
The corruption charges faced by Azeez, 55, were in connection with road projects in Perak and Kedah while the money-laundering charges involve money which he allegedly received from a company called Menuju Asas Sdn Bhd.
In yet another court, another Umno leader - Kinabatangan member of parliament Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and his wife Datin Seri Zizie Izette Abdul Samad, were granted a stay in proceedings in the first day of their defence against charges of accepting RM2.8 million through corrupt means.
In Zahid's case, judge Datuk Yazid Mustafa freed Zahid at the end of the prosecution involving 40 charges of receiving bribes from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) to extend its VLN contract.
The judge ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the 69-year old Bagan Datuk MP.
He said three key witnesses – former UKSB directors Harry Lee, Wan Quoris Shah Wan Abdul Ghani and David Tan – were unreliable and not credible.
The judge said even though there were suggestions that Zahid had received money there was no sufficient evidence to prove it.
On the infamous ledger which purportedly contained names of ministers, politicians and civil servants who also received kickbacks from UKSB, the judge said there were contradictions involving evidence of the trio.
Yazid said Tan claimed that he gave RM3 million to Zahid but this was not mentioned in his witness statement.
He said Tan had also agreed during cross-examination that evidence about the payment was an afterthought.
The judge said Tan had also failed to explain on the different code names which were attributed to Zahid in the ledger.
In the ledger, he used different code names such as Monster, Mon, YB, Young Boy, ZH and Z when referring to Zahid.
Immediately after he finished reading his two hour grounds of judgment, those present in court started clapping before Zahid walked out of the courtroom with tears in his eyes.
In this case, a total of 18 witnesses were called by the prosecution to testify in the trial which began on May 24, 2021.
The prosecution team was led by Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran, Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Abdul Malik Ayob and Zander Lim Wai Keong while Zahid was represented by counsels Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Zainal, and Hamidi Md Noh.
Meanwhile, the prosecution will study the grounds of judgment before deciding whether to appeal.
It is learnt the prosecution has 14 days from today to file a notice of appeal to the Court of Appeal against the decision.