RM26m credited into Yayasan Akalbudi Trustee's account legally, say witnesses

Nine bank officers told the High Court here today that 40 monetary transactions totalling RM25,952,770 received by Messrs Lewis Co as the trustee of Yayasan Akalbudi belonging to Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi via cheques and demand drafts were lawful.

The nine witnesses from various banks were Mar Sai Chin, 49; Lina Zailan, 32; Lau Ai Mai, 46; Suzaliza Kamari, 44; Sharifah Shifah Syed Zainol, 56; Mohd Zulkarnain Ab Latiff, 40; G.Jayachantran, 42; Au Lai Ban, 51; and Wong Shiau Phing, 44.

They said this during cross-examination by defence counsel Haziq Dhiyauddin Razali who represented the former deputy prime minister, on whether the transactions seemed strange or illegal.

However, another witness, Yusri Md Kasri, 49, also a bank officer, only replied "I do not know" when asked the same question on the 21st day of Ahmad Zahid’s corruption trial.

All the witnesses also agreed with the lawyer that the transactions carried out at Maybank, CIMB Bank, RHB Bank, Public Bank and Hong Leong Bank were common procedures in which the information was duly recorded with nothing concealed, and is traceable.

During the re-examination by DPP Harris Ong Mohd Jeffery Ong, all the witnesses agreed with his suggestion that their response to the transactions being lawful was based on documents provided in court.

Earlier, all the witnesses told the court that the cheques had been received from three individuals and six companies, namely, Cergas Murni Sdn Bhd, HRA Teguh Sdn Bhd, MY EG Sdn Bhd, Chia Bee Enterprise Sdn Bhd, Kiosk Solutions Sdn Bhd and MTM Networks Sdn Bhd, between March 29, 2016, and March 26, 2018.

Ahmad Zahid, 67, is facing 47 charges, with 12 of them involving criminal breach of trust, eight for corruption and 27 for money laundering.

The trial before Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow. - BERNAMA