RM7.5m cash allegedly donated to Zahid's charity was not from Yayasan Albukhary, MACC officer tells court

KUALA LUMPUR (March 10): A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigator yesterday told the High Court that RM7.5 million which was misappropriated from a charity started by former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pictured)  had originated from dubious sources and not from Yayasan Albukhary.

During Ahmad Zahid's money-laundering trial, MACC investigator Mohd Fahmee Mohamad Nor said the cash given to money changer Omar Ali Abdullah, which he then turned into 35 cheques made out to law firm Messrs Lewis & Co, was a form of money laundering.

Omar, who is also a witness in the trial, testified last year that he was instructed by Ahmad Zahid in 2014 to handle the deposits for his Yayasan Akalbudi's account.

Omar testified that Ahmad Zahid had told him that the donors were from a different charity named Yayaysan Albukhary, which would contact him to give him donations for Yayasan Akalbudi. Omar then said he was instructed to convert the money into the cheques.

He also said in his sworn testimony last year that many men had come to see him to give him the funds on several occasions, however he could not recognise any of them.

Testifying yesterday, Fahmee said during the course of his investigations, he did not probe Tan Sri Syed Mokhthar Albukhary or Yayasan Albukhary as Omar had already said he could not identify the men who claimed to be from the charity.

"I saw this as money laundering involving dubious sources," he said.

Fahmee also said that in their preliminary checks on Albukhary, they could not find any receipts or documentary proof which suggested that they gave the RM7.5 million to Yayasan Akalbudi.

This has to do with Ahmad Zahid's 27th charge, which was amended by the prosecution today to state that Ahmad Zahid was involved in money laundering by allegedly ordering Omar to convert RM6.885 million of illegal funds into 30 cheques, but the charge was amended this morning to reflect the RM7.5 million and 35 cheques, as per the testimonies of Omar and Fahmee.

Deputy public prosecutor Harris Ong then asked the officer why Syed Mokhtar was not investigated, to which the officer said Omar did not know anyone from the foundation and had told investigators that he was acting on instructions solely from Ahmad Zahid.

He also said that after Omar testified in court last year, no one from Yayasan Albukhary came forward to help the investigations.

Lead defence lawyer Hisyam The Poh Taik objected to the suggestion from the officer that the money came from dubious sources, saying this was just his own opinion.

Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah advised the witness to only testify on his investigation process and not the source of the funds.

Ahmad Zahid is facing 47 charges — 12 for criminal breach of trust, eight for bribery and 27 for money laundering — involving millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi in his trial.

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