KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had donated to charitable purposes, including the building of mosques, with a donation of RM10 million for a mosque in Melaka named after both his father and mother-in-law, his special officer told the High Court today.
Datuk Mohd Kamal Abdullah said this while testifying as the sixth defence witness for former home minister Zahid in the latter's trial.
Zahid is facing 47 charges, including for the alleged criminal breach of trust of RM31 million belonging to charitable foundation Yayasan Akalbudi — where he is a trustee and also later its sole signatory for cheques.
Today, Mohd Kamal said he knew that his employer Zahid made a number of donations for charity, noting that Zahid had contributed RM10 million to build a mosque by a lake at Masjid Tanah in Melaka.
Mohd Kamal said Masjid Salmah Khamis was named after Zahid's parents-in-law, and that he had on several occasions followed along Zahid to monitor the construction of the mosque until it was completed in 2017.
Mohd Kamal said this mosque was officiated by both the then Melaka governor Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob and Zahid, who was then the deputy prime minister.
Mohd Kamal also spoke about another mosque over a river in Bagan Datuk, Perak that is still under construction, noting that this floating mosque was named Masjid Tuminah Hamidi, after Zahid's parents.
"It has been long since he told me that he wished to build a mosque that will be named after his mother's and father's names to remember and repay both parents' good deeds and to hope that pahala (divine rewards) to them will always continue," he said.
"The construction of this Masjid Tuminah Hamidi is sponsored fully by Yayasan Akalbudi and Yayasan Al-Falah as the developers," he said, later adding that he had visited this mosque several times.
Mohd Kamal said this mosque should have been completed this month based on the schedule, but said this would be unlikely due to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) freezing of Yayasan Akalbudi's account.
Asked by Zahid's lawyer Hamidi Mohd Noh to give an estimate of how much has been donated for the building of this mosque in Bagan Datuk, Mohd Kamal said: "Over RM38 million."
Mohd Kamal said he knew that Zahid had in 1997 set up his foundation which was named Yayasan Budi, before it was renamed to Yayasan Akalbudi.
"I still remember he told me that he formed this foundation on his father's advice, to give alms, carry out welfare and charity to needy individuals if able to do so," he said, claiming that Zahid had said he would place his own funds in the foundation to be given to those in need.
Mohd Kamal said some of Yayasan Akalbudi's objectives conveyed to him included welfare for the poor, education, studies in several sectors and investment.
Mohd Kamal said Zahid had told him that Yayasan Al-Falah was a foundation set up to institutionalise the properties left behind by his late father to be channelled for good. This foundation is chaired by Zahid's younger brother Datuk Seri Mohamad Nasaee Ahmad Tarmizi.
Mohd Kamal said Zahid had donated towards the building of mosques and suraus, tahfiz centres, the poor, orphans and single mothers, and that such donations by Zahid would either be from his personal funds or from his foundation Yayasan Akalbudi.
He claimed that Zahid had also made donations for the building of mosques abroad such as in China, Thailand, South Africa and Australia.
Mohd Kamal also said that Yayasan Akalbudi had made donations by fully sponsoring the construction of the secondary school Sekolah Menengah Imtiaz Ulu Al-Bab in Melaka that was completed in 2014, and that Zahid had wanted it modeled after the concept used by a secondary school in Kuala Terengganu.
Cash aid and gifts of cows
Earlier, Sabri Zainudin Zainul who had worked as then deputy prime minister Zahid's principal private secretary from October 2017 to May 2018 testified as the fifth defence witness.
While working during that brief period for Zahid in the deputy prime minister's office, Sabri said many individuals went to the office to ask to meet with Zahid to seek for financial aid to continue their studies, and that Zahid would usually agree and give aid in the form of cash.
"It ever happened also when Datuk Seri Zahid did not have cash to give aid at that time, he would call me and ask me to use my cash first if I have, and he will repay it to me after that," he said.
He said Zahid would give a personal donation to help with the costs of the Family Day event each time it was organised by the Home Ministry.
Sabri claimed to have knowledge of Zahid's foundation Yayasan Akalbudi, as several individuals went to the deputy prime minister's office then with the intentions of meeting Zahid and stating that they wish to donate to this foundation that was under Zahid's management.
When asked by Zahid's lawyer Aiman Abdul Rahman, Sabri claimed that Zahid had once channelled RM150,000 as additional funds to enable the sending of 80 members of a sports club and their family members to be sent to Muslim pilgrimage in 2015, which was when the ringgit's value had fallen and the costs for the trip had increased.
Sabri also said that Zahid would give out cows to MPs — including those from the Opposition — for the Hari Raya Korban celebration.
"I have one good friend, each year he receives, MP," he said, before proceeding to name incumbent MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar for Pokok Sena in Kedah.
"Actually, he is opposition MP, Pokok Sena, Mahfuz. Each year he receives four to five heads, I know because he invites me also. He and I are in the same village, we are neighbours, he said he receives each year. The rest I knew during the deputy prime minister's office period, for their good, I don't mention-lah," he said.
In this trial, Zahid who is also Umno president is facing 47 charges, namely 12 counts of criminal breach of trust in relation to over RM31 million of charitable foundation Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds, 27 counts of money-laundering, and eight counts of bribery charges over RM21.25 million in alleged bribes.
Yayasan Akalbudi was founded with the purported objectives of receiving and administering funds for the eradication of poverty, and enhancing the welfare of the poor.
The 12 counts of criminal breach of trust is in relation to the alleged misappropriation of Yayasan Akalbudi funds, namely RM1.3 million via 43 cheques for his and his wife’s credit card bills, RM107,509.55 via three cheques for vehicle insurance and road tax for 20 privately-owned vehicles, a RM1.3 million cheque to the police’s football association, a RM10 million cheque for a loan to Armada Holdings Sdn Bhd, RM360,000 via two cheques to political consultancy firm TS Consultancy & Resources, and over RM17.9 million of funds transferred from Yayasan Akalbudi to law firm Lewis & Co.
