Zahid Carried Out Welfare Activities For The Needy Say Witnesses

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Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is standing trial on charges of money laundering and CBT involving millions from Yayasan Akalbudi and accepting bribes for various projects when he was the home minister. (Bernama pic)KUALA LUMPUR: A former aide and a special officer still serving Ahmad Zahid Hamidi testified before the High Court here that their boss carried out welfare and charitable activities for the poor and needy.
Ex-senior private secretary Sabri Zainudin Zainul said many individuals came to meet Zahid at his office when he (Zahid) was the deputy prime minister.
“This is my observation during the time I came to know him (Zahid) and served him when he was holding public office (as deputy prime minister),” he said in his witness statement.
Sabri, 61, served Zahid as senior private secretary between Oct 2017 and May 2018.
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Zahid was also the home minister between 2013 and 2018 and deputy prime minister from 2015 to 2018.
He said Zahid would usually agree to give aid in cash.
“There was a time he asked me for money to help a person when he had no cash,” he said, adding that his boss repaid him later. He said Zahid had even helped opposition MPs who sought his assistance.
“On one occasion he (Zahid) helped Mahfuz Omar (ex-MP Pokok Sena) to buy four cows in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidil Adha,” he added.
The fifth defence witness also said Zahid was generous and would pay for activities that were conducted by home ministry staff from his own pocket, such as Family Day.
The former civil servant said he had also come to know that Zahid was managing Yayasan Akalbudi since 1997.
“There were several individuals who came to (the deputy prime minister’s office) to meet him and express their desire to provide funds for Yayasan Akalbudi to help the poor and needy,” he said.
Another defence witness, Kamal Abdullah, 65, said most of the Akalbudi money was used to build mosques, suraus, religious schools and to aid the poor, orphans and single mothers.
“His contribution is not confined to his parliamentary constituency of Bagan Datuk, or Melaka, but also outside Malaysia,” he said in his witness statement.
Kamal has been special officer to Zahid since the time the latter was appointed as Bank Simpanan Nasional chairman in 1994.
The sixth witness said Zahid contributed towards building a religious school, Sekolah Menengah Imtiaz Ulul Al-Bab in Melaka, and donated RM10 million to build the Masjid Salmah Khamis and Masjid Tuminah Hamidi in Bagan Datuk.
Zahid is standing trial on charges of money laundering and criminal breach of trust involving millions from Yayasan Akalbudi and for accepting bribes for various projects during his tenure as the home minister.
Twenty-seven charges are for money laundering and another eight are for corruption.
Hearing before justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow. - FMT

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