Zahid freed of all charges in foreign visa corruption trial

SHAH ALAM: Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has been acquitted of 40 charges of receiving bribes from a company to extend its foreign visa system (VLN) contract.

High Court judge Yazid Mustafa ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the Umno president.

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.

​The offences were alleged to have been committed at Seri Satria in Precinct 16, Putrajaya, and at Country Heights, Kajang, between October 2014 and March 2018.

Zahid still faces 35 charges in the Kuala Lumpur High Court for money laundering and criminal breach of trust involving millions from Yayasan Akalbudi and for accepting bribes for various projects during his tenure as the home minister.