The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Mon (2 Mar) allowed Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s corruption trial to be postponed to the next day after his lawyer told the court that his client wants to meet the newly-appointed Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to discuss the new Cabinet lineup.
Zahid is currently facing 47 charges related to criminal breach of trust, corruption, and money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit of funds belonging to the Akalbudi Foundation.
The former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia — who served during Najib Razak’s tenure until Pakatan Harapan defeated Barisan Nasional in 14th General Election in May 2018 — in a statement today said that he will “clear” his name in court “without any of the cases being withdrawn”.
“I want the court to decide, although the charges are political prosecutions and selective in nature,” he said.
Zahid also today denied rumours claiming that Umno had agreed to support Muhyiddin’s new government in exchange for having all criminal charges against its party leaders dropped.
He told Malaysiakini in a text message today that such allegations are “not true”.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), however, released a statement saying that Muhyiddin was only scheduled to meet Police chief Abdul Hamid Bador and Armed Forces chief General Affendi Buang at 4.30pm and 5.30pm respectively.
“The Prime Minister’s Office wishes to clarify that no meetings or gatherings with political leaders are scheduled for today,” said PMO.
Previously, Zahid told reporters that his “mission is accomplished” after he was seen exiting Muhyiddin’s residence in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur on 29 Feb, a day prior to Muhyiddin’s swearing-in ceremony as PM.
Zahid’s trial will resume before Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah in the High Court tomorrow (3 Mar).
