KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid has dismissed allegations that he committed Criminal Breach of Trust (CBT) after RM1.3 million was taken from charity foundation Yayasan Akalbudi's accounts and given to the Royal Malaysian Police football association in 2015.
The former prime minister said it was just an advance given to the association after he was informed that players and other staff of the police football team had not been paid their wages and allowances for four months.
He said as home minister at that time, the police were under his purview and he needed to resolve the matter after being told of the football team's predicament by his son-in-law Datuk Zul Hisham Zainal.
"I was informed that the football association was in a dire state and urgently needed funds.
"They had failed to pay wages and allowances over four consecutive months and the players urgently needed money to survive.
"That is why I advanced them the RM1.3 million... it was to help them and it was a form of welfare aid," he said, adding the association then had about 30 local players, three imported ones and 15 others in the management team.
Zahid said the entire team was made up of full time players whose only source of income was from their career as footballers.
He said the monthly salary of the entire team was about RM500,000 to RM600,000 and the accumulated amount owed to them by the association then was about RM1.3 million.
The 69-year old, who is Umno president, said as far as he was concerned the advance given to the football association was in line with Yayasan Akalbudi's objectives of providing charity and welfare aid to the needy.
He added that the foundation trustees had also not objected to the advance given to the association.
Zahid, who is represented by Hisyam Teh Poh Teik and Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Zainal, also noted that the National Sports Council had since repaid RM1 million to cover the advance which was given to the football association.
The prosecution, which is led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran, had previously contended that Zahid should not have used Yayasan Akalbudi funds to pay the football players wages as they did not come under the poverty group in need of help.
It contended that the football players were all professionals and the only issue they faced was unpaid wages, a problem which the club itself could have resolved.
The prosecution's case against Zahid is that he had allegedly misappropriated more than RM13.1 million of his family-run charity foundation for his personal use.
The trial before High Court Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.