SINGAPORE: Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi remains acquitted of 40 charges in a foreign visa corruption case after prosecutors on Thursday (Dec 12) withdrew their appeal against his acquittal by the Shah Alam High Court in September 2022.
Deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Yusaini Amer Abdul Karim said on Thursday morning that the attorney-general has decided not to pursue the appeal after considering the trial judge’s grounds of judgment and two representations sent on Zahid’s behalf.
Zahid faced 33 charges of receiving S$13.56 million (US$10.1 million) in bribes from a company called Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd between 2014 and 2018. The money was allegedly to facilitate the award of a contract for the foreign visa system and one-stop services in China, and the extension of the contract to 2025, according to Malaysian media reports.
He also faced seven charges in his capacity as the then-home minister for allegedly obtaining bribes in different currencies – S$1.15 million, RM3 million, €15,000 (RM67,032) and US$15,000 (RM67,548) – from Ultra Kirana.
Zahid was Home Affairs Minister from 2013 to 2018 and was also Deputy Prime Minister from 2015 to 2018 under then-Prime Minister Najib Razak.
He is currently also president of the United Malays National Organisation, which is part of current Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government.
DPP Yusaini said the prosecution found no evidence to suggest that Zahid, 71, used his position to directly award the contracts in question.
Yusaini also highlighted findings by the trial judge, who found that investigators did not conduct a probe into the money received, or on various individuals who were said to have provided funds sourced from overseas, news portal Free Malaysia Today reported.
The three-judge Court of Appeal upheld the previous acquittal.
Zahid thanked his legal team outside the court and posted “Alhamdulillah”, or “all thanks be to Allah”, on Facebook.
