Malaysia drops corruption case against deputy premier
Malaysia has taken the surprising step of discontinuing a substantial corruption case against its Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who was facing allegations of defrauding a foundation.
Zahid had been confronted with a total of 47 charges, encompassing multiple instances of criminal breach of trust, corruption, and money laundering related to the alleged misappropriation of $27 million in funds allocated to Yayasan Akalbudi, a charitable organization he established with the aim of alleviating poverty.
In a development reported by the Malay Mail, Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah concurred on Monday with the prosecution's request for additional time to delve further into the case. Consequently, he granted Zahid a discharge that does not amount to an acquittal. This specific legal maneuver implies that the prosecution retains the option to revive the charges at a later date should it choose to do so.
Deputy Prime Minister Zahid expressed his gratitude, stating, "My family and I are grateful that the court has discharged me of all 47 charges." Throughout the proceedings, Zahid had consistently maintained his innocence and contended that the charges were politically motivated.
The defense had pressed for a full acquittal, and Zahid's legal team intends to challenge the discharge ruling through an appeal process.
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