FORMER deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi instructed Affin Bank to withdraw money from Yayasan Akalbudi’s fixed deposit account and transfer it to a law firm in the form of banker’s cheques, Kuala Lumpur High Court was told today.

Affin Bank operations officer Narimah Miswadi testified the banker’s cheques, worth almost RM18 million were to be made out to Messrs Lewis and Co in 2016 to fund the construction of a building in the foundation’s name in Bagan Datuk, Perak.

Narimah said she was summoned by Zahid to his office in Putrajaya around that time to facilitate this transaction.

Zahid told her the reason for the transfer was to pay for a building for Yayasan Akalbudi.

Narimah was the sixth witness in Zahid’s trial, who is charged with 12 counts of criminal breach of trust, eight counts of corruption and 27 counts of money-laundering, involving a total of RM117 million.

Proceedings today were before Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, with Raja Rozela Raja Toran and deputy public prosecutor Lee Seng Fatt leading the prosecution.

“Zahid told me the transfer was to pay for a Yayasan Akalbudi building in Bagan Datuk,” Narimah said, adding that Zahid then asked his personal assistant, Maj Mazlina, to prepare an instruction letter to the bank.

The 47-year-old Narimah said she did her due diligence as instructed by Zahid to make the transfer, which was made by June 23, 2016.

“Based on Zahid’s instructions, I made an application for approval from Affin Bank’s headquarters in Jalan Bunus, Kuala Lumpur to allow Yayasan Akalbudi to pay Messrs Lewis and Co via the banker’s cheques,” she said in a sworn statement.

During cross-examination by defence lawyer Ahmad Zaidi Zainal, he asked Narimah if she had misheard Zahid’s instructions about the money.

“Did Zahid say that the money was for a building, or a tahfiz school and a mosque?

“Maybe you were nervous that you were in a meeting with the deputy prime minister, so maybe you didn’t hear that it (the money) was to be used to build a tahfiz school and a mosque in the area,” he said.

However, Narimah insisted Zahid had told her that the money was for a building in Perak, for Yayasan Akalbudi.

Zaidi also asked her why she did not query the transfer to the law firm acting as a trustee as Yayasan Akalbudi could have paid for the building itself.

“I was following his instructions. At that time, he was the deputy prime minister of the country, I could not refuse him,” the witness added.

The trial continues tomorrow. – November 20, 2019.

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today hears how former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi instructed a witness to allow Yayasan Akalbudi to pay Messrs Lewis and Co via the banker’s cheques. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, November 20, 2019.