Thursday 28 Mar 2024
By
main news image

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 13): Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his wife were questioned on whether they had the poor people of Malaysia in mind when they went on luxury shopping sprees which were charged to credit cards belonging to the couple and paid off by his family-run Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB) charity foundation. 

Zahid and his wife had allegedly spent some RM1.3 million of YAB funds to pay off credit cards for shopping sprees at Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton or Hermes. 

Lead prosecutor Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran on Wednesday questioned whether Zahid had the poor people of Malaysia in mind when going on the spending sprees. 

“A quick glance through the monthly credit card statements will show an extensive use of either one or all of the cards at any one time, for purchases at high street stores around the world and locally,” she said. 

“Although admittedly, the spending habits of the accused and his wife may not be an issue in our case, one cannot help but wonder if they had in mind the poor folks of Bagan Datoh and Malaysia as they went on a shopping spree at Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton or Hermes (to name just a few). We very much doubt that,” she said. 

She said this after submitting that some 43 cheques issued to YAB were used to pay for Zahid’s credit card bills from 2014 to 2016. 

The prosecution's contention in the trial where Zahid is facing 47 charges is that he dishonestly misappropriated the funds in YAB for wrongful and personal gain. 

Of the charges, Zahid is facing 12 for criminal breach of trust, eight for corruption and 27 for money laundering — involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to YAB.

Edited BySurin Murugiah
      Print
      Text Size
      Share