THE hearing of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s corruption case over the Foreign Visa System (VLN) at the High Court in Shah Alam, supposed to have resumed this morning, has been postponed to August 10 as the last prosecution witness to be called to testify still has Covid-19.

At the proceedings today, deputy public prosecutor Abdul Malik Ayob told Judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa that the witness, who is a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer, still had the virus and remained in quarantine until July 31.

“With your permission, we would like to request for the trial to be continued on the dates that have been set, which is August 10 to 12,” he said.

Since there was no objection from lawyer Hamidi Mohd Noh, representing Zahid, the court then postponed today’s trial accordingly.

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 29, 2022.