BERSATU wants Attorney-General (AG) Tan Sri Idrus Harun to explain why senior prosecutor Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran was dropped from the team handling the trial against Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for misappropriating the Yayasan Akalbudi funds.
Bersatu legal and constitution bureau deputy chief Sasha Lyna Abdul Latif said Raja Rozela’s removal from the case comes at a critical juncture because Zahid’s representation to AG’s Chambers for the case to be dropped was pending decision.
“Our country’s international reputation in terms of business and investments will be affected by how this prosecution is handled,” the Perikatan Nasional (PN) Bukit Antarabangsa candidate for the Selangor state poll pointed out in a statement.
“Any sign or perception that there has been interference or that the nation is soft on corruption will adversely affect our reputation as a place of business. Nobody wants to do business with corrupt regimes.”
While Raja Rozela has the right to stay silent on the matter, the syariah lawyer reckoned that the same cannot be said of the AG and Putrajaya.
“The Prime Minister (PM) recently said he wants to end corruption in this country. But he must walk the talk. Otherwise, it would be just empty rhetoric to fish votes,” Sasha Lyna who is also an activist hit out at Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“His government must first come clean on this gravely concerning development in the Zahid corruption case.”
For the record, Zahid who is also the Rural and Regional Development Minister had in 2019 been slapped with 47 charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), corruption and money laundering involving the Yayasan Akalbudi Foundation which he founded.
Although he was ordered to enter his defence in January 2022, earlier this year, the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman submitted two representation letters to the AG, urging for charges against him to be quashed citing “new evidence”.
In September last year, Zahid was acquitted by the Shah Alam High Court of 40 charges of corruption in connection with the foreign visa (VLN) system. Judge Datuk Mohd Yazid Mustafa ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the Bagan Datuk MP for all 40 charges. – Aug 8, 2023
