THE High Court in Shah Alam today postponed the hearing of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s Foreign Visa System (VLN) corruption case to Friday after being informed that the final prosecution witness had contracted Covid-19.

Deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran told judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa that he was informed by another witness about the development late yesterday.

“We were informed late yesterday that the investigating officer tested positive for Covid-19, so we couldn’t call him today.

“We request that the hearing date for this week be maintained… if the witness recovers, and has tested negative, we want to call the witness to appear on Friday,” he said.

Raja Rozela, who is leading the prosecution team, also asked for the August trial date to be maintained so that the proceedings could continue.

“Many trial dates have been set. We have a few more this August, if there are no obstacles, the trial can continue on those dates,” he said.

The court had set August 10-12 and 24 for the trial dates.

Raja Rozela is assisted by deputy public prosecutors Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin, Abdul Malik Ayob and Zander Lim, while Zahid is represented by lawyers Hisyam Teh, Ahmad Zaidi Zainal and Hamidi Mohd Noh.

Zahid is facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13. 6 million (RM42 million) from UKSB as an inducement for himself in his capacity as a civil servant and the then home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the One-Stop Centre (OSC) in China and the VLN system, as well as to maintain the agreement to supply VLN integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the home ministry.

For another seven counts, Zahid was charged as home minister to have obtained for himself S$1.2 million, RM3 million, €15,000 (RM69,000) and US$15,000 (RM65,900) in cash from the same company in connection with his official work.

He is charged with committing all the offences at Seri Satria, Presint 16, Putrajaya, and Country Heights, Kajang, between October 2014 and March 2018.

The trial continues. – Bernama, July 26, 2022.