KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 ― Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s criminal trial today was only heard in the morning, while the afternoon session was vacated to be replaced with another trial date next month.

Zahid’s lawyer Hamidi Mohd Noh this morning informed the High Court that his client intended to ask to have half of today’s proceedings be taken off as the Bagan Datuk MP had to be present for a parliamentary committee meeting today.

“Yang Arif, the defence applies for a hearing date to be vacated. This is regarding a letter from the Dewan Rakyat secretary’s department that asked my client to attend a Dewan Rakyat Select Committee meeting.

“Together with the letter, we filed in an application. Because of that, the defence asks to vacate only this evening, it’s very short. But because of that, parties are suggesting to you that we replace this slot with another date which is on August 14, Friday. The whole day to cover this evening... I believe that will not impede the necessary going ons of this court,” he said.

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Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran, who is leading the prosecution in this case, noted that the prosecution had received the letter this morning and viewed its contents.

Rozela said the prosecution has no objection to the request by Zahid’s lawyers, noting: “And my learned friend’s proposal ― if this application is allowed ― is agreed on. We can extend or add in another date for the trial. We are already at the tail end anyway.”

High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah then allowed Zahid’s request to have the trial proceedings this afternoon be taken off to be replaced with August 14.

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In this trial, Zahid ― who is a former deputy prime minister and currently the Umno president ― is facing 47 charges, namely 12 counts of criminal breach of trust in relation to charitable foundation Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds, 27 counts of money-laundering, and eight counts of bribery charges.

The trial proceedings this morning saw two prosecution witnesses testifying, with 84 prosecution witnesses having testified so far.

Zahid’s trial is expected to resume tomorrow morning.

On July 13, the Dewan Rakyat had passed a motion to appoint the six new members of the Select Committee for the 14th Parliament, namely Zahid, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, Marang MP Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Port Dickson MP Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Earlier this month, the High Court had also allowed Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial to end earlier by hearing the case through the usual lunch break, which enabled the Pekan MP to make it in time for his slot to deliver his speech in Parliament. The High Court had allowed this after receiving a letter from the Dewan Rakyat speaker.

Newly-minted Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan @ Harun later denied instructing Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah to do so, saying he merely requested it.