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KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmed Zahid Hamidi insisted in court today that his charity Yayasan Akalbudi made payments to TS in August 2015 and November 2016. Two cheques worth RM360,000 were issued by Consultancy & Resources for the printing of the al-Qur’an.
Testifying in his defense at the trial, Ahmed Zahid said he was suspected of breaching trust in the funds of Yayasan Akalbudi, a foundation aimed at eradicating poverty, for which he was a trustee and its owner. The only signer of the check.
During cross-examination, chief prosecutor Datuk Raja Roz Raja Tolan suggested that TS Consultancy & Resources “help UMNO to register voters”, but Ahmed Zahid disagreed.
Raja Rozela: I tell you that TS Consultancy was actually established on the initiative of your own party, Umno.
Raja Rozela: As UMNO vice president at the time, you agreed that maybe you were excluded from that information?
Previously, Datuk Seri Wan Ahmed Wan Omar, chairman of TS Consultancy, had said in this trial that the company was set up on instructions from then Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in 2015 to assist the country. and the ruling government to register voters..
Wan Ahmed also previously testified in court that the salaries and allowances of the company’s employees were paid using funds provided by Umno headquarters, where a special meeting – chaired by Muhyiddin and led by Umno officials such as Ahmed Zahid were present – having decided on the company’s budget for salaries and operating costs.
But when Raja Rozra asked Wan Ahmed’s testimony that the company was paid for by funds from Umno headquarters, Ahmed Zahid replied: “I don’t know”.
Raja Rozela asked him what he allegedly did not know was that Umno had paid TS Consultancy, and although he is said to have been briefed on the company with Muhyiddin, Ahmad Zahid insists he was “never informed of this”.
In today’s testimony, Ahmed Zahid continued to insist that the cheques totalling RM360,000 were issued by Yayasan Akalbudi for charitable purposes in the form of printing the Holy Quran for Muslims.
Ahmed Zahid said he knew Wan Ahmed because the latter was deputy chairman of the Election Commission, and confirmed that Wan Ahmed later served as a special officer to then deputy prime minister and UMNO deputy chairman Muhyiddin.
When Wan Ahmed was Muhyiddin’s special officer, Ahmed Zahid said he was UMNO vice-president, defense minister and home minister.
Wan Ahmad was Muhyiddin’s special officer, he served as deputy prime minister from January 2014 to 2015, and later went on to serve as Ahmad Zahid’s special officer – he succeeded Muhyiddin as deputy prime minister in July 2015.Wan Ahmad is Ahmad Zahid’s Special Officer until 31 July 2018.
Ahmed Zahid today confirmed that Wan Ahmed has requested to remain in his role as Deputy Prime Minister’s Special Officer and to be promoted from Jusa A to Jusa B at the civil service level, confirming that he has agreed to retain Wan Ahmed roles and promotion requests.
Ahmed Zahid explained that while his predecessor Muhyiddin had created the role of special officer, Wan Ahmed had to make a request because the deputy prime minister had the power to terminate or continue the job.
When asked if Wan Ahmed as a normal person would be grateful to Ahmed Zahid for agreeing to extend his service and promote him, Ahmed Zahid said he did not feel Ahmed owes him a debt.
When Raja Rozela stated that Wan Ahmad had no reason to lie in court, he said that Ahmad Zahid actually knew the reason for the establishment of TS Consultancy, Ahmad Zahid replied: “I was not told by him, but as far as I know, he intended to print the ” The Qur’an for charity.”
Raja Rozela: This is something new in Datuk Seri, you say Datuk Seri Wan Ahmed intends to do charity by printing the Quran.Did he tell you that he wanted to print the Quran for charity by printing it under TS Consultancy?
While Raja Rozela said Wan Ahmad briefed Ahmad Zahid on the financial situation of TS Consultancy and his need for financial assistance as Deputy Prime Minister in August 2015, Ahmad Zahid insisted that, given Yayasan Restu’s mandate, Datuk Latif Being Chairman, Datuk Wan Ahmed is one of the panel members appointed by Yayasan Restu to find funding for the printing of the Quran.
Ahmed Zahid disagreed with Wan Ahmed’s testimony that he provided a briefing that the company needed Umno money to pay staff salaries and allowances, and Ahmed Zahid insisted that the former’s The newsletter just needs to print and distribute the Qur’an.
For the first Yayasan Akalbudi cheque dated 20 August 2015 totalling RM100,000, Ahmad Zahid confirmed that he was ready and signed to issue it to TS Consultancy.
As for the second Yayasan Akalbudi cheque dated Nov 25, 2016, for a total of RM260,000, Ahmed Zahid said his former executive secretary, Major Mazlina Mazlan @ Ramly, prepared the cheque according to his instructions, but insisted It was for the printing of the Koran, and he said he could not remember where the check was signed.
Ahmad Zahid agrees that TS Consultancy and Yayasan Restu are two different entities and agrees that the printing of the Qur’an is not directly related to Yayasan Akalbudi.
But Ahmed Zahid insisted that Yayasan Akalbudi indirectly included the printing of the Quran, also known as the articles of association, among the objectives of his memorandum and articles of association (M&A).
Ahmed Zahid agreed that the printing of the Qur’an had nothing to do with TS Consultancy, but claimed there was a briefing on such intentions.
In this trial, former interior minister Ahmed Zahid faces 47 charges, namely 12 counts of breach of trust, 27 counts of money laundering and eight counts of bribery related to the funds of the charitable foundation Yayasan Akalbudi..
The preamble of Yayasan Akalbudi’s Articles of Incorporation states that its objectives are to receive and administer funds for poverty eradication, to improve the welfare of the poor and to conduct research on poverty eradication programs.