AHMAD Zahid Hamidi “called the shots” in charity foundation Yayasan Akalbudi because “what the boss wants, the boss gets”, the Kuala Lumpur High Court was told today.

Deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran said the Umno president was the top man in the trust and kept other trustees in the dark.

Former trustees Mohd Samsuri Tun, Zulkifli Senteri, Muhammad Nabil Saleh and Khairuddin Tarmizi have testified that they have no knowledge of the state of affairs at the foundation, she added.

Raja Rozela said based on their testimonies, the former deputy prime minister had purposefully “left them in the dark” and dismissed them as signatories.

Zahid – an Akalbudi “first trustee” – and two Board of Trustees members, Samsuri and Zulkifli, were company directors since March 18, 1997.

However, Zahid had ordered the other two to resign without any discussion or reason given in 2012.

A circular resolution dated April 25, 1997, sanctioned the opening of an account wherein Zahid, Samsuri and Zulkifli had been named as signatories for Akalbudi cheques.

Samsuri, who is the 4th witness in the trial, testified that he had signed “blank” cheques upon the instruction of Zahid on many occasions, and continued to co-sign the cheques until he had to resign after being served a bankruptcy notice.

Zulkifli, who is the 7th witness in the trial, recalled the day when Zahid’s driver dropped by his house with a pre-prepared resignation letter.

“They were trustees, just like the accused, but reality check here, My Lord, he is still the boss. The accused is the boss,” Raja Rozela told judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

“And it is not an exaggeration on my part to suggest that what the boss wants, the boss gets.”

Zahid later filled the vacated posts with two new members, namely Nabil and Khairuddin. Nabil is his political aide, and Khairuddin is Bagan Datuk Umno secretary.

However, their appointments could not be registered due to the foundation’s failure to respond to certain Companies Commission of Malaysia queries.

“As it turns out, by virtue of a Trustees’ Circular Resolution passed on April 4, 2012, the accused was made the sole authorised signatory,” said Raja Rozela.

“This resolution was signed by the accused, Nabil and Khairuddin. The change in signatory took effect on June 20, 2013.”

She pointed to a testimony by Khairuddin, who said he had signed a statutory declaration even though he knew the contents to be untrue.

“Whether that is commendable loyalty or blind faith, I do not know, but either way, it shows that the accused is the one who calls the shots. In Akalbudi, he decides; the accused decides who stays and who goes.”

The prosecution, in its submission, highlighted that during Zahid’s “reign”, 50 foundation cheques were issued and funds from seven fixed deposit accounts were withdrawn.

The accumulated amount is RM31,082,732.57, of which, not a single cent benefitted the poor, contended the prosecution.

Zahid, 68, is facing 47 charges – 27 for money laundering, 12 for criminal breach of trust and eight for corruption – involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.

The trial resumes tomorrow. – October 11, 2021.