Malaysia Court Drops Graft Charges Against Deputy PM

Malaysian prosecutors dropped corruption charges against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Monday.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court allowed a prosecution request to grant Ahmad Zahid who was facing 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, bribery and money laundering, a discharge not amounting to an acquittal, after the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) chose not to continue pursuing the case.

State news agency Bernama reported that the prosecution made the request to halt the case as they wanted to investigate the case in depth.

The discharge comes even after the court said in January last year that the prosecution had succeeded in establishing an initial case against Zahid and had asked him to enter his defence.

Ahmad Zahid had pleaded not guilty to all charges, and UMNO said he was a victim of political persecution.

The AGC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, a lawyer for Ahmad Zahid, said his team will ask the court for a full acquittal.

REUTERS