KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court was today shown cheques totalling RM1 million issued by Profound Radiance Sdn Bhd to former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi last year.
Maybank bank officer Harryade Mohamad Arbe, 46, confirmed this when he was questioned about the cheques issued in 2017 and 2018.
Under cross-examination by Zahid’s lawyer Hisham Teh Poh Teik, Harryade said the two cheques worth RM300,000 and RM700,000 were for ‘charity’.
When asked to read out the note at the back of a RM1 million cheque from Profound Radiance dated Jan 3, 2018, that recorded its purposes, Harryade said it stated “political funds to TPM (deputy prime minister) to be paid to law firm Lewis & Co.
He was testifying as the 26th prosecution witness in Zahid’s trial involving 47 criminal breach of trust (CBT), corruption and money laundering charges involving millions of ringgit of Yayasan Akalbudi funds.
The witness also confirmed that Profound Radiance had made payments to Lewis & Co via a RM300,000 cheque dated July 31, 2017 and a RM700,000 cheque dated Feb 9, 2018, which went into the firm’s client account.
Meanwhile, another bank officer from RHB Islamic Bank, Faiz Azfar Mohamad Azahar told the court that there were 10 cheques totalling RM5 million from company Brave & Honest Trading to Lewis & Co on Jan 3, 2017.
He said another 13 cheques worth RM8 million were paid to the firm between Nov 23, 2016, and Jan 6, 2017, by Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services, which had an account with RHB Islamic.
However, when Hisham suggested that the 23 cheques issued by the companies were for ‘charity’, Faiz replied he had no knowledge about it.
According to Zahid's bribery charges, he was alleged to have accepted bribes from three companies: Mastoro Kenny IT Consultant & Services; Data Sonic Group Bhd; and Profound Radiance Sdn Bhd as an inducement for him, in his capacity as then Home Minister, to help the companies obtain MyEG projects, supply passport chips, and to be appointed operator of migrant visa one-stop centres in Pakistan and Nepal.
The trial continues before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah in February next year.