KUALA LUMPUR (July 7): UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi accused the prosecution in his corruption trial of trying to “trap” him with their line of questioning.

Zahid, 69, said this when deputy public prosecutor Harris Ong Mohd Jeffery Ong questioned him about transactions involving funds from his charitable organisation, Yayasan Akalbudi’s (YAB), which the former Deputy Prime Minister is accused of misappropriating.

Zahid was testifying in his own defence and was going through law firm Lewis & Co’s ledger — the law firm entrusted by Zahid to handle YAB’s funds. Ong showed him 11 cheques amounting to RM3.8 mil from various individuals and corporate bodies for donation to YAB that was credited into a customer's account at Lewis & Co.

When asked about one of the donors, Zahid said he did not know any of them and told the court that it was "immoral" to ask about the donors.

Zahid was also asked about money changer Omar Ali Abdullah, who was entrusted to compile donations for YAB and had brought two cheques to Zahid from donors.

"The donation was not made in my name but to a foundation. If the foundation is managed by a law firm and it is clear the donation had been credited, it is immoral to ask who the giver is or has the money been credited... Putting this question to me repeatedly, is to trap me,” he said.

To this, Ong said he was only seeking "truth and justice", which led to an interjection from Zahid's lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, who said the matter could be left to submissions at the end of the trial.

High Court Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who was presiding over the tiral, Justice Sequerah concurred that it should be left to submissions and instructed Ong to continue with his line of questioning.

In the ledger, Ong showed Zahid that there were entries about the law firm placing RM2 million into fixed deposits on Nov 30, 2016 and a further RM5 million in fixed deposits on December 9, 2016.

The lawyer also showed that money was taken out of the fixed deposits on Jan 4, 2017.

Zahid confirmed the withdrawal, saying the law firm had on the same day issued an RM5.9 million cheque to Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew’s company, Bee Garden Holdings Sdn Bhd, for two bungalows in Country Heights.

Zahid explained that the money was withdrawn from the fixed deposits prematurely because they were needed to pay for the bungalows, which he said were sold to him at “below market value”.

He said the seller gave them a short timeframe to purchase the units because Lee needed the money to settle his income tax issues.

“That’s why the discount was given and the decision was made fast,” Zahid said.

Zahid previously claimed in the trial that the bungalows were bought for Islamic religious studies.

Zahid is facing 47 charges involving RM31 million of funds from YAB in this trial, namely 12 counts of criminal breach of trust, 27 counts of money-laundering, and eight counts of bribery.