KUALA LUMPUR – Once again, the defence counsel to former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi pointed his fingers at Major Mazlina Mazlan during the embezzlement trial involving Yayasan Akalbudi foundation.
Mazlina, the former Executive Secretary to Ahmad Zahid was accused of negligence by the defence in handling the credit card bills and car insurance payments using cheques belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.
During his rounding up argument, Moh Noh, the defence counsel to Ahmad Zahid said that the situation was caused by Mazlina’s negligence, however, his client is slapped with the corruption charges.
“She was the cause and why is our client being charged in this trial?” he said before High Court Judge, Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah.
Earlier, Mazlina, who is also the 90th witness of the corruption trial involving the Member of Parliament of Bagan Datuk confessed that she did not show the credit card payment cheques to Ahmad Zahid prior to depositing them.
The army veteran also confessed that she used Ahmad Zahid’s signature stamp pad on those cheques.
Ahmad Zahid is being trialled over 47 charges; 12 criminal breach of trust, 8 corruption and 27 money-laundering charges involving millions ringgit of Yayasan Akalbudi.
He was charged for using the funds to make six personal credit card payments, private vehicles insurance policies and licenses, transferring money to a legal firm and donation to the Royal Malaysia Police football club.
Meanwhile, Mohd Noh also expressed his disappointment that the prosecution’s statements about Ahmad Zahid and his wife’s spending habits had attracted the attention of the poor people.
According to Mohd Noh, the defence hoped that the court would see that the argument is irrelevant to the case, and it should not have been brought up by the prosecution.
“Our client felt offended because, it seemed to be prejudice and irrelevant. We strongly object to this argument and hope that the court would not consider this irrelevant detail,” he said.
Earlier, during the proceeding, Deputy Public Prosecutor, Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran said that Ahmad Zahid and his wife, Datin Seri Hamidah Khamis settled more than RM1.3 million of credit card bills using the money from Yayasan Akalbudi after shopping in luxury outlets within two years.
At the same time, the objectives for the establishment of Yayasan Akalbudi owned by Ahmad Zahid was to abolish poverty and protect the welfare of the poor.
Proceeding will resume on 29 December. -MalaysiaGazette
