KUALA LUMPUR: A partner at Messrs Lewis & Co today testified that no report was lodged to the authorities when the law firm received a total of RM76.9 million in cheques from Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi between 2016 and 2018.
This, B.Muralidharan said was because he did not find it unusual or illegal and that the transactions did not seem suspicious to him.
Muralidharan, 62, who is a lawyer and solicitor was testifying in the corruption trial of the former deputy prime minister involving millions of ringgit from charity foundation Yayasan Akalbudi, today.
Referred to a document which was a letter of undertaking signed by the firm by Ahmad Zahid's lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, the 87th prosecution witness agreed that he was satisfied that the funds were legal and legitimate.
Under cross-examination, he agreed that the transactions were reflected in the ledger kept by the law firm and properly recorded.
The witness added that the file containing the ledger of every transaction related to the cheques were externally and internally audited.
Asked if he had written to Bank Negara Malaysia or other relevant authorities on any suspicion that the funds were of proceeds of illegal activities, Muralidharan said he did not.
He also confirmed that the transactions could be examined by the auditor or a third party as it was an open transaction.
He also agreed that the owners of the cheques can be easily identified from the file opened by the law firm under Yayasan Al-Falah, a charity foundation belonging to Ahmad Zahid's family in which his younger brother Datuk Seri Mohamad Nasaee Ahmad Tarmizi was the chairman and trustee.
Further queried whether the subject of the file was for charity, the witness answered in the affirmative.
Hisyam: Would you agree that those are open transactions in the sense that it is subject to scrutiny?
Muralidharan: Yes.
Hisyam then contended that the monies which was in the form of cheques actually belonged to Yayasan Akalbudi to which the witness disagreed.
On Wednesday, the High Court was told that RM76.9 million which went into the client's account of Messrs Lewis & Co as instructed by Ahmad Zahid was said to be for charitable and religious purposes.
Muralidharan, who revealed this, said the monies in the form of 92 cheques were handed to him by Ahmad Zahid in different occasions between May 20, 2016 and April 9, 2018.
Trial continues before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah on Aug 24.
