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Zahid: I am persecuted over my charity work

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PETALING JAYA: Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has testified today that more than RM109 million of Yayasan Akalbudi funds have been utilised for both Islamic and general charity work, Malaysiakini reports.

The former deputy prime minister told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that there were other projects that were carried out but the contributions were not recorded.

“This is a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing as they (donors) do not want publicity for their good deeds,” he was quoted saying by Free Malaysia Today when examined by counsel Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Zainal.

Zahid said this to rebut the prosecution’s opening statement that “not a single sen from Yayasan Akalbudi was spent on charitable activities”.

The Bagan Datuk MP is accused of 47 counts of money laundering and criminal breach of trust involving millions of ringgit from Yayasan Akalbudi and accepting bribes for various projects during his tenure as the home minister between 2013 and 2018.

Twelve of the charges are for CBT, eight for corruption and the remaining 27 for money laundering.

The defence stage of the trial will resume on May 23.