Friday, September 23, 2022

We must accept court’s decision, says Shafie over Zahid’s acquittal




We must accept court’s decision, says Shafie over Zahid’s acquittal


Warisan president Shafie Apdal says it is up to Putrajaya to appeal the court’s decision, but maintains that the judge’s ruling must be accepted by all. (Facebook pic)


PETALING JAYA: Malaysians must accept the Shah Alam High Court’s decision to acquit Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of all 40 charges of corruption involving the foreign visa system (VLN), says Warisan president Shafie Apdal.

The former Sabah chief minister said it was up to the attorney-general to appeal the court’s decision, but maintained that the judge’s ruling must be accepted by all.


“We have to respect the law and the court. If the court has made such a decision, then we just have to accept it,” he told reporters during a visit to Pulau Larapan in Semporna this afternoon.

Earlier today, judge Yazid Mustafa ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against Zahid, a former deputy prime minister.


Zahid, 69, had been accused of 33 counts of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) as the then home minister to extend the firm’s contract as the operator of a one-stop centre in China and the VLN system as well as to maintain a contract for the supply of the VLN integrated system.

He was also charged with seven other counts of obtaining for himself S$1.15 million, RM3 million, 15,000 Swiss francs and US$15,000 from the same company in connection with his official duties.

Following the court’s verdict, Zahid said he has had faith in the judiciary since “day one” of his trial, expressing gratitude for his acquittal.

However, Perak DAP chief Nga Kor Ming accused Zahid of being quick to change his stand on the judiciary, having criticised it in the past over Najib Razak’s SRC International trial.


The Teluk Intan MP pointed out that on Aug 17, Zahid said the Federal Court’s decision to reject Najib’s application to adduce fresh evidence in his SRC appeal could “erode the integrity of the judiciary”.

“From condemning to praising the judiciary, Umno-Barisan Nasional is so quick to change their colour. Can you believe in such a double standard?” Nga said in a Twitter post.

Meanwhile, PKR’s Bayan Baru MP, Sim Tze Tzin, expressed disbelief over the court’s decision and hoped that the attorney-general would file an appeal.

He also said a can of worms had been opened over Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) after several other political figures were said to have received funds from the firm.

“The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police must investigate and charge the perpetrators,” he said in a Twitter post.


1 comment:

  1. It would be interesting to see if the AGC will appeal the decision.

    But, it does look like the prosecution dropped the ball.

    Hopefully, the grounds for the court decision will be made public so that we have a better understanding of why the judge decided the way he did.

    ReplyDelete