KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — The Court of Appeal has fixed November 17 for another case management for the prosecution’s appeal against Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s acquittal of 40 charges of corruption in connection with the foreign visa (VLN) system.
A case management for the appeal was conducted earlier this morning before Court of Appeal assistant registrar Mohd Khairi Haron today who fixed the new case management date.
Deputy public prosecutor Abdul Malik Ayob and Zander Lim appeared for the prosecution.
Zander, when contacted by Malay Mail, confirmed a further case management date was fixed following a request by the prosecution for more time to consider Ahmad Zahid’s representation for the prosecution to discontinue its appeal.
It is understood that the Barisan Nasional chairman had sent a series of letters of representation to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC), calling for the prosecution to discontinue its appeal.
The prosecution previously filed a notice of appeal to the Court of Appeal on September 26, last year against the Shah Alam High Court’s decision to acquit and discharged Ahmad Zahid, who is now deputy prime minister, of all the charges after ruling that the prosecution had not made out a prima facie case against him.
The Umno president pleaded not guilty to 33 counts of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) for himself as home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of a one-stop centre (OSC) service in China and the VLN system, as well as to maintain its contract with the home ministry to supply the VLN integrated system.
According to the charge sheet, Ahmad Zahid, who was former home minister, was alleged to have committed those offences at Seri Satria, Precinct 16, Putrajaya and Country Heights, Kajang, between October 2014 and March 2018.
This is Ahmad Zahid’s second case after he was granted a discharged not amounting to an acquittal by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on September 8.
In that case, Ahmad Zahid was accused of dishonestly misappropriating RM31 million from the charitable organisation he founded.
