THE prosecution in Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s criminal trial today amended a charge to increase the amount and value of cheques used by the Umno president to commit money laundering.

The amendment took place on the 49th day of the ongoing trial with Zahid claiming trial to the amended charge.

“I understand that this charge (was amended) to make my sentence heftier. Thank you, I plead not guilty,” he said when the charge was read again to him during trial.

The prosecution had applied to high court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah to amend the 27th charge against the former deputy prime minister.

In the amended version, there were 35 cheques amounting to RM7.511 million while in the original version, there were 30 cheques and amounting to RM6.885 million.

Zahid is alleged to have committed money laundering by engaging in direct transactions involving proceeds from illegal activities by instructing one Omar Ali Abdullah to convert for him a cash amount of RM7.511 million into 35 cheques that were later given to Messrs Lewis & Co for the opening of Maybank fixed deposit accounts.

The offence allegedly took place at Marhaba Enterprise Sdn Bhd, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, on March 29, 2016 and July 15, 2016.

Zahid, 68, faces 47 charges, 12 of them for criminal breach of trust (CBT), eight for corruption and 27 for money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit from his charity foundation Yayasan Akalbudi.

Zahid’s lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik also informed the court that his client had lodged a police report on a viral message that ruling party Bersatu wants to impose harsher criminal charges against him (Zahid).

“We would like to inform the court that the defence had lodged a police report on the matter to investigate the veracity of the message,” said Hisyam.

The message was purported from the outcome of a Bersatu supreme council meeting last week. The party had said it was a fake message and lodged a police report against it.

Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Sazilee Abdul Khairi said the viral message was just a “political issue” and that the prosecution just wanted to finish its case.

More than 95 prosecution witnesses have so far testified in this case, with several more investigating officers expected to testify as prosecution witnesses. – March 9, 2021.