SHAH ALAM: The prosecution in the corruption trial of former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is facing 40 charges in connection with the Foreign Visa System (VLN), today closed its case after calling 18 witnesses.

Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran, who led the prosecution team, told High Court Judge Datuk Mohd Yazid Mustafa that the prosecution closed its case after the 18th witness, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer V. Mahendran, 38, finished testifying.

Mohd Yazid then ordered the defence to file its written submissions on Aug 29 and the prosecution on Sept 5.

The judge also set Sept 1, 2, 5 to 8 to to hear their oral submissions before deciding whether to acquit or order Ahmad Zahid to enter his defence on the 40 charges.

"I also take the opportunity to thank the defence and the prosecution for their cooperation that the (prosecution's) case can be closed today," he said.

Raja Rozela informed the court that the prosecution had offered 27 witnesses to the defence, including the former deputy secretary-general (Control and Enforcement) of the Home Ministry Datuk Wahab Mohd Yasin; deputy director- general (Development II) Public Private Partnership Unit (UKAS) Raja Muhammad Azhan Shah Raja Muhammad and MACC officer S. Vijaya Kumar, who is also the complainant in the case.

Earlier, Mahendran, told the court that he did record the testimony by Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein because there was no witness statements nor information in the UKSB ledger regarding payments to the politician.

He said this when cross-examined by lawyer Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Zainal on why he did not record the testimony by Hishammuddin even though the name of the Senior Defence Minister was on the MACC's complaint form.

Mahendran said he did not record Hishammudin's conversation because there were no witness statements and no information from the UKSB ledger regarding payments to the politician.

Ahmad Zaidi: Yesterday, you (Mahendran) told the court that the investigation focused only on Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid?

Mahendran: Disagree, the focus was on the VLN and OSC (One Stop Center) contracts involving KDN officials and the ministers.

The witness said the KDN ministers he was referring to were Hishammuddin and Ahmad Zahid.

He also disagreed with the lawyer's suggestion that Ahmad Zahid only received RM100,000 twice from UKSB and the testimony by the main witnesses in the case cannot be trusted.

The witnesses referred to are former UKSB administrative manager David Tan Siong Sun and two former UKSB directors, Harry Lee Vui Khiun and Wan Quoris Shah Wan Abdul Ghani.

In the trial, which started on May 24, 2021, the prosecution was also represented by Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Abdul Malik Ayob, Zander Lim Wai Keong and B. Thavani while lawyers appearing for Ahmad Zahid also included Hisyam Teh Poh Teik and Hamidi Mohd Noh.

Ahmad Zahid, 69, is facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to SG$13.56 million from UKSB for himself as Home Minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of OSC service in China and the VLN system as well as to maintain the contract agreement to supply the VLN integrated system to the same company by the Home Ministry.

For another seven counts, he was charged with obtaining for himself SG$1,150,000, RM3 million, EURO15,000 and US$15,000 from the same company which has official links with his official duty.

He was charged with committing all the offences at Seri Satria, Precinct 16, Putrajaya, and Country Heights Kajang between October 2014 and March 2018.

-- BERNAMA